Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-21
frank II. Simonds in New York
Tribunel

Tribune.l
II is the unanimous testimony OF ally
Washington correspondents that the
presidents declaration concerning AL
| sace-I ,orraine was more instantly and
generally applauded than any other
portion of his historic address. And 1t
is the similarly unanimous testimony
of all who heard the president that his
declaration was accepted as pledging
this country to fight until France re-
gained her lost provinces"
The wrong of AlsaceLorraine was
two fold The people of the border
lands were not merely French in spirit
more French than the French them.
selves" to use their own phrase. They
had been penetrated and permeated by.
| the French revolution as perhaps no
other portion of France was. The deep
! est wrong Of all was to transfer from
! the democracy OF France to the autoc-
racy Of Germany men and women de-
voted to democratic ideas and ideals.
When the Germans took Metz they
| sinned against the doctrine of nation
ality, for Metz and it's environs were
as French as Paris and it's suburbs.
When they took Strassburg they COM
mitted q crime comparable with that
| they would commit if they should seize
German speaking portions Of Switzcr-
| land. FOR both the German speaking
people Of .Alsace and of Switzerland
are republican In spirit and in ideals.
When the Germans annexed these
French provinces the unanimous pro-
test of the representatives Of the in
H.l = lal in Parl n
alike. And forty years after the an
nexation German chancellor an
nounced that Germany was Still en-
camped on hostile soil in the Reichs-
| land. The outrage Of Saverne a few
| years before the coming of the present
! war was final demonstration of what
| PrILssianism has meant in the Rhine
| country. People who were denied the
right to choose their own nationality
were refused the opportunity to speak
| within their enforced frontiers. AT
home and in Berlin they were treated
| as a conquered people. For nearly u
half century Strassburg has known
| what Brussels is only just learning.
The German took Alsace-Lorraine as
| he invaded Belgium, on the pretext OF
| necessity. He annexed, the French
speaking town OF Metz and the Ger
man speaking city OF Strassburg for
1.-The same reason. He has held them
| ever since by might alone. No one
pretcnds that German rule has been
popular. Despite the fact that nearly
| 900 900 Germans have immigrated into
| the provinces and ceaselessly labored
to create German loyalty the people
| have remained unrcconciled. Alsace-
Lorraine has given France a hundred
generals in this war and Germany not
one. Thirty thousand Alsatians have
at the peril Of their lives crossed the
| frontier to fight in French armies. II
| Americans have any doubt as to the
wish Of these people of Alsace -Lor-
raine let them inquire OF natives OF
| these provinces now living in exile in
the United States.
| And now President Wilson has said
that the wrong must be righted But
for such n wrong there can be but one
| compensation. The stealing Of child
can be compensated for only by the
return of the child. Only the paciftst
and the Gcrmanophile can mistake the
| presidents meaning. which was moi
mistaken by those who heard him. Fe
| meant that Alsace Lorraine must De
restored to France and he meant that
the United States would fight until
this was achieved. 1t was at once a
declaration Of principle and a pledge
Of purpoge And az to both the Amer
| lean people stand with the president.
i From the beginning OF the Wa!
| France has been the bulwark OF clVii-
i iZatlor against Tentonism Without
French herosm, sacrifice, victory. GER
/ many would have achieved world su-
premacs before England was ready o.
America enlisted. Had England no'
permitted the German annexation OF
Alsace Lorraine. Germany could MOI
have invaded Belgium. ana northern
/ France would not havc been ravagee
and sacked.
wi i;;,,;;. 10 CO ..a-:a inn France e
always in deadly peril The keys fe
! her richest pToY,Dces are Strassn W
and Metz: holding them, she guard.
Lorraine and Champagne. This "ou'e