The sun., 1919-05-25
cERMANYs NEW BORDERS.
They Approach Those Of the Later
Seventeenth Century.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: Tho
forthcoming peace treaty shows curl
Gus tendency to push back German,
within her limits Of the later seven
teenth century.
In the west France regains the Ger
man conquests Of Louis XIV; Metz on
the Moseile River; Alsace west Of the
middle Rhine, and probably the Saai
valley, where Louis XIV. built his for
tress of Saar-Louis
The border line between Germany
and the Low Countries tends also &c
return to Its old limits In 1915 Prus'
STA gained considerable portions Of
northwestern Luxembourg, and Moresnet
disputed between Prussia and the Meth
erlands, was made tiny neutral repuo'
lie. Belgium now adds this little nc
mans land of Moresnet to her Other
Walioon population. and stands to gain
the Rhenish Prussian Walloon district
Of Maimedy. which has no reason to
remain in Prussia, and will probably
vote for union with Belgium. II the
Germans Of the Eupen district vote fol-
annexation to Belgium It will be be-
cause they wish to escape the heavy
economic burdens likely to be imposed
on Germany.
In the east IL, is curious to note how
the German-Polish border limo reap
proaches that Of the Treaty Of oiivs
(1e6o), which freed East Prussia from
Polish supremacy. Readers Of Sien-
kiewiczs Fire and Sword" will recall
that King John Casimir Of Poland ruled
Great Poland (modern Posen) and
Royal or Polish Prussia (modern Wes'
Prussia). and also had q loose over
lordship over the German city-republic
OF Danzig at the mouth Of the Vistuls
River. It Is not 30 generally known
that John Casimir held the dukedon
Of Oppeln in southeastern Silesia as q
fief from Austria. Now II Is precisely
Pcsen, West Prussia, Danzig and the
Polish district Of Oppeln which Germany
has been required to cede to the republic
Of Poland at present
The plebiscite to be held in the Polish
speaking districts of southern Easl
Prussia will probably add little to Po-
land. For though there Is a strons
Polish Roman Catholic element in Gull
merland, the border district from Thorn
onward east of the Vistula. the Ger
mans seemed to be in a majority there
TO Judge by the Reichstag elections
And in the Masurian Lakes region about
Allenstein the 100000 Polish Masures
good natured in disposition and Protes-
tant by religion. have always lived In
perfect peace with their German Junker
landlords, have voted the German Con-
servative ticket as their landlords babe
them, and have never sent Polish
nationalist Deputy to the Reichstag.
The 100, oo0-odd Protestant Lithuan-
ians about Memel, In northeastern East
Prussia, unlike the Masur Poles, have
awakened to national consciousness and
have at times elected a Lithuanian dep
uty to the Berlin Reichstag. But they
are separated from the Roman Catholic
Lithuanians by religion and from the
Protestant Let's Of Courland and south
ern Livonia by geography. So It Ia
hard to tell which branch of the Letwa
or Baltic race, will gain Prussian Lith-
uania.
In the north Germany will lose ground
In the northern part of Schleswig- Hol-
stein. Here the Danes number but 14o.-
o00-odd in a population of 1,900,0 900
Eoistein is wholly German. and in
southern Schieswig the Germans DOM
mate a V-shaped area stretching from
Fiensburg south-southwest to Sillende
Moor and thence north-northwcst TO
Tondern and the North Sea. But II
the German Schleswigers vote for union
with small but wealthy Denmark in
order TO escape grinding taxation the
Danish kingdom may once more extend
southwark to the famous Dannevirk
DANES work. wall built by Queen
Thyra 10 guard her land. On the north
therefore. Germnny's frontiers may fall
back to the seventeenth century line OF
the River Eyder.
The loss OF 20 per cent OF Germany &
area falls mainly in Roman Catholic
districts. This will weaken the Catholic
Centre party and its allies. A union
Of Roman Catholic German Austria with
Germany would reinforce the weakened
Catholic Centre. and this union has al
ready been suggested. II the great
Powers forbid this union now Germans
will recall that the great Powers In 1878
cut or eastern Rumelia from Bulgaria,
cnly TO allow its annexation to the Bull
garian State in 1885.
Austria formed an integral part OF
Germany for over 1000 years (796-
1So6) until Germany fell under Napo-
Icons control. After Napoleon's fall
Austria was German for fifty years
more (1S14-66). So even in the south
east Germany seems likely to attain
her seventeenth century frontiers by
advancing down the Danube TO Vienna
and into the eastern Alps. and this gain
would atone for the loss OF disloyal
Poles and Alsatians in the east and
tho west.
West Prussia, where the Germans out
number the Poles two to one. will prob
ably form a serious point of friction
between the Poles pushing northward
tn the sea and the Germans advancing
toward East Prussia. in matters OF COM
n,erce or politics. Let us hope that the
Peace Conference will give fair play
to both Poles and Germans in this bor-
derland OF Slav and Teuton.
NEW YoRK Nav "a WIDsITH