The Seward gateway daily edition, and the Alaska weekly post., 1918-03-04
JUSTIFYING CLAIM TO ALSACE-LORRAINE

JUSIlt1lNG CLAIM IO AIScAOE-LOhhIAlANL
 There will be no just and lasting peace ii the Frenc claim to AlsaceLorane should be ignored denied One can detect sort of undercurent opinion to the effect that the adjustment win reference to this Genanized French province will be made trading basis. That opinion based careless and incOnSderae judgments and as we must believe without full knowledge and tu weighing of the facts.
 There are historical social anG economical and mill tary considerations involved in the settlement of the Al saceLoraine question: and with regard to each of thes the French claim is inperativey dominant It is justified on every count.
 It is the German argument that Sedan restored an oid-time German possession. That argument would be sound if the hand the clock of time could be turned back thousand years and more When Charemagne in the year 800 received the Iron Crown of the empire the characteristics of the AsaceLorane region were entire y Gemanic. German was the language of the people, Strassburg Comar Nuhausen are German names. There is dispute about the native, unadulterated German character Of those provinces at that time Neither IS there any dispute that they remained German for about nine centuries or until an imperial ambition moved Louis XIV of France to attempt the conquest of Europe It is y the statement of cold historic fact to say that Louis took these provinces by force of and made them part of France But between the day of Louis XIV and that of Louis XVI history recorded for France something than the death of two French mOnahS It recorded the GeaLn OI IeUUI france tle DlTIu OI IeW In that period the spirit of French democracy had been engendered and burst bounds Alsace-Lorane had not only been transformed to genuinely French provinces but they had been vtaized and inspired to transfoma ton more significant We understand this when real Ze that the MarSeiaiSe first sung at StTaSSburg
 In this passion of democratic natiOnaIsm the people of Alsace-LOrrane have lived ever since and are strong and vehement. Out of population of 1,9OOOOC the natives who are almost entirely French number l. 100000 More than 3OOOO of them called to German vice since the began have deserted and gone over to the French coOrs When the war began the French department could number 145 superior officers and over 400 subordinate officers OfASaan origin, From 1895 to 1900 there was 9 per cent increase of French speaking people in Asace alone Repeatedly there has been bold protest before the German rechstag against German zed ASace-Loraine: and in 1913 Herr Jagow said before the tribune of the rechStag We Germans obliged in Alsace to behave ourselves if in enemys country" Since the began German generals have not heSitated to declare that AlsaceLOrrane is enemy country.
 Economically and from the military standpoint AL saceLorraine prize that Germany will fight to retain It mountain frontier against enemy country to be easily defended in future wars for which we may be sure the Prussian lords planning. It rich supply iron for guns and munitions and transporta tion equipment During 1913 approximately 41,O0OO0O tons of smelted in German furnaces, of which 21000000 tons mined in Lorraine It probably will be necessary to wreS this rich field from German pos