Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19
THE FATE OF ALSACE.
BY JOHN SIMONDS.

NI WINTERER is the cobbler of an
Alsatian village, now in French
occupation. and he has strong views
on the proposals put forward by GER
tain sections in Great Britain and
America urging that the fate of AL
SAGE be determined by a plebiscite. In
reply to question. he exclaimed.
fiercely:
"Ah. they do not know anything of
Alsace to make such a suggestion.
original Alsatians and the German
immigrants, have been forced to live
together for forty-eight years. We
had different customs, ways, tradi-
tions. ideas. and we have often come
to blows, as when at Zabern another
cobbler like me had his head cracked
by staggering boche.
ITO keep us in order $4,000 soldiers
were planted in our country. All our
young men. IL physically fit. were sent
to German barracks. number fed
to France to avoid this. but years
pa ssports. and even when they were
summoned to attend their parents
deathbeds these were refused.
But besides all their bullying and
brutality the German officials and
their families appeared ridiculous to
we were slaves. Hairy. badly dressed
creatures the boches are! And their
women folk. with their vulgar dresses
and red. shiny faces. The men wore
those celluloid collars, all yellow with
being scrubbed with tooth brush!
The houses they built against our
charming old mansions were mon
strosities and the style Of a pastry
cook. You smile that I speak like
this. But l am of French blood. an
artist. lover of beauty. not a bar
barian like a boche. That's the diff
ference.
Yet now plebiscite Is proposed,
Why. for forty-eight years, while we
have been forced to endure a most
dictatorial and oppressive rule, we
nave never ceased expressing our op-
position to the boche government.
Why plebiscite now? 1t is as If
the Germans, after invading Belgium
In 1914. and then after sending away
or numbering the native Beleians.
bringing In their own officials, sup
spoken or written, isolating the un-
happy country by means Of passports.
were In the year 1s62-forty- four.
years hence-to announce to Europe
should be decided by referendum!
ITO be fair to the Alsatians.: we
should be returned to France now.
Throughout all her years aof occupa-
ttou IefmaHy ndS teTFOFlZeQ. AlSlCes
and has created close and secret in.
dustrial and commercial relations.
From the secretary of state to the
lowest gendarme. all the b0che, who
have poured In to pick up fat Jobs
in our rich country. would do their
Just cause is to let us return to
France.
IT have read OF the way in red
Indian tribes a squaw used to be
snatched away from her husband by
force and compelled to live. with an
method Of mating. although mitigated
by certain fierce wooing OF the
woman. Is regarded by civilization as
barbaric and unchristian. fF
' "Alsace is like the woman torn
away from her man. France was de-
feated in the Franco Prussian war.
There has never been. however. little
attempt to WOO her She has never
been allowed to enjoy under the same
conditions as the German states, the
manic confederation. She has always
remained a 'reichsland.' and her peo-
pie made to feel that they were
conquered race. The abducted wom-
an has been given no place In the
new household She still remains
band and her old home remains the
same. Would It be fair or honorable
to ask such a woman to state solemn-
ly her wishes when she knows that
with club If she speaks against
him? Equally unfair would II be to ask
Alsace by referendum, carried out
with boche spies In command. to ex-
press her will Right the wrong.
Return the lost provinces to the
moral and just policy"
fConvri~ht fNtO