The sun., 1919-06-16

- 49, - - 49,
to accept all general regulations of the
league as regards aviation. ...
Immediate oral negotiations to settle
details are proposed. Germany Is to do
everything In her power to preserve hui
manity from another war, and II the ma
lions are disappointed in their hope OF
this It will not be her fault.
Chapter II. deals with territorial ques-
tons The first section lays down the
principle Of the right Of self-determina-
tion In accordance with President Will
sons speech of February IL, 1913, and
his speech Of July 4, 1918.
Demands Plebiscite.
The German delegation claims that on
these principles the cession of Upper
Silesla and the Saar district cannot be
demanded at all, and that where terri
torial cession can be acquiesced In It
must be preceded In every case by a pie
biscite with universal suffrage under fair
conditions administered by q neutral
Power after evacuation Of foreign
troops. Further proposals are made,
as the exchange Of enciaves ana the
filing OF frontiers. This section also
advocates the principle of protection Of
national minorities under the league.
including such German minorities as
may pass under alien sovereignty. These
must be Afforded the fullest possible
cultural autonomy. This. section deals
with Belgium and claims the contested
territories OF Moresnet and ,Prussian
Moresnet have a German majority. The
Wauoons are considerable In a minority
In Malmedy. Germany cannot consent
N "a ftr-
disputably German districts, and, in
these instances a real plebiscite 10 not
provided for. Germany is prepared to
supply wood from Che Eupen forests in
reparation to Belgium, but cannot 'ron-
sent to the bartering OF human beings
The brief third section on Luxembourg
declares that the proposed eoopomic and
political conditions are one sided and in
admissible. The fourth section deals
at considerable length with the Saar
district. Germany declares the frontiers
have been drawn to include Important
Industrial districts beyond the coal
mines, but even the .cession of the min
ing district could not be admitted. A
supply of coal can be guaranteed. but
the total coal computed to exist in the
Saar mines would represent a hundred
times the maximum French demands
The population OF the Saar district Ia
peculiarly uniform and has been attached
to Germany for over q thousand years.
during which period France has pos
, sessed It not more than sixty-eisht years.
The people to-day are as German a.
they were q hundred years ago, when
| they demanded to be reunited with Ger
| many, but on account OF the coal mines
they are put under an abnormal and I'M
favorable form of government, and since
the armistice they have begun to learn
| what they will have to suffer.
All this Is TO compensate France for
| coal destroyed In the north. but such a
question can only be settled on an eco
/ nomic basis, not by tearing away q ma
| tionally undisputed territory and de-
ing II in the transaction. The German
Government declines to make any repa-
| ration In the form Of punishment, and
still more emphatically declines to past
on to individual parts Of the population
the punishment intended for the whole
Of, the community. The annexation OF
the Saar district to. France would. mean
the creation OF another Aisace Lorraine
and Germany claims that the whole
question must be reconsldered. ~
Call Alsace-Lorraine German. ,
| The NTH section. dealing with Alsace.
Lorraine. insists that for the most par,
this district 10 German. but admits tina,
according to, present conceptions OF ri3h,
Lam mi ustice was Committed in ASH. wher
the people were not consulted. German,
has therefore promised reparation. but Il
would be- no repasatien 70 sede Aissce
Lorraine with its Immensely increased
economic wealth to France at once.
vote must be taken. allowing choict
between union with France, union with
Germany. as q free state. and complete
independence. II the population should
decide for France, the present condition.
must be nodded as to the. dating, bacl
OF the cession and the question Of nation
ality, and r. France Is to take over thu
results Of Germahy's effort she mus
equally take over q proportionate 'shar'
In the German debt
A short sixth section declares tina
Germany has never intended to shift tn,
frontier with Austria by force. but can
not pledge herself to oppose a possible
desire of German Austria to be unitet
with her. 4l /. az. .,
A long and important seventh section
deals with Germany's eastern frontiers
Germany has agreed to creation OF al
independent Polish State. but the term
of the treaty include in II q, number o
totally German towns and extensive Ger
l
nomic- reasons without regard to ma
tionality or to history. II Is claime
that this particularly applies to Uppe
Silesia. which has had no connection
with the Polish empire since 1163. tn
wishes OF the inhabitants have bee
clearly expressed by the elections OF tn
Reichstag IN 1903 and 1907, when tn
minority voted for German rather tina
Polish Deputies In 1919. when tn
Poles proclaimed their abstention fror
voting. so per cent. OF possible voter
voted for German candidates.
With regard TO language. the parent
of less than 20 per cent. of the schot
children have declared themselves
favor of education In a nom German lar
: guage under the new provisions. and III
Polish dialect spoken by a considerabl
part Of the upper Silesians 10 really
= mixed language, and does not repeat
! mark of nationality. Upper Silesia owe
I everything to Germany, and German
. cannot dispense with upper Silesia, Will
Poland does not really need 1t.
Need silesian Coal.
The upper Silesian coal supplies a
most the whole industry of eastern Gel
. many. and last year the output wa
! 43,500.000 metric tons.
Poland in same period used abo,
10000, 900 tons, and the Polish outpi
was nearly 100000 tons. Half II
deficit came from upper Silesia. the n
mainder from the mines now in Czeche
Slovakia. but the new Poland coul
probably supply herself with all u
coal she needs.
n German conditions for working ciai
t life are incomparably better than thoI
= In polapd and fha caaaion NJ unner q