Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-26
ALLIES CONCEDE FOE
ONE POINT ON SARRE
Prior Charge Upon Reuenues Allo,ced for Repurchase
OF Mines, but All Other Frontier Protests of Ger
many Are Rejected-Oral Discussion Is Refused


the German notes rejecting the bound
airy clauses of the peace treaty. The
text of the reply by NJ. Clemenceau.
made public here last night. reveals.
however. that the Allies have met one
German criticism by changing para
graph of the clause of the treaty dealing
with Sarrc valley.
/ Germany had protested that even if
at the end of fifteen years she had the
requisite gold to buy back the Sarrc coal
/ mines. the inter Allied rpparatiops
/ commission would hardly permit such
/ use of the gold to be made. I'm the
| history of modern times said The Ger.
man note, there probably exists no
instance where one civilized power has
obliged another TO surrender its nation
ais to foreign sway as an equivalent for
sum of gold
Text Of the Notes
Tho Allied reply was made public
here. together with the text of the two
German notes on the subject. The
OF NJ. Clemenceau'S note. dated Nav "a
and addressed 10 Count Won Brockdorff-
/ Rantzau. follows:
Sir beg to acknowledge receipt
?
also of your further letter of May 1G:
as the two communications concern the
same subject. it will be convenient that
! should arrange them in ono letter.
with regard to tho more general
observations contained in your first let.
ter. ] must emphatically deny on behalf
of the Allied and associated govern
mCntS the suggestion contained in it
that German territories are by the
treaty of peace made the subject Of
bargains between one sovereignty and
another as though they were mere chat
tells and pawns in IA game In fact.
the wishes Of the population of all the
territories in question will be consulted
and the procedure followed in such con.
sultation has been carefully settled with
special regard to local conditions. .
Full Liberty Insured
"As to territories cedcd to Belgium.
full liberty is Insured for popuar opin-
ion to express itself within a period of
six months. The only exception that
las been made applies to that part Of
tho territory Of Prussian Morpsnot living
west of road from Iiege to AK la
ChapEellc. the population of which
numbers loss than 800 inhabitants. and
in which the woods are transferred to
Belgium a part rCparation for the de-
struction of forests by Germany on
belgian territory.
AS TO Srhleswig. I am TO explain
that this question was taken up by the
Peace Conference on the request Of the
Danish Government and the population
of Schlcswig.
''AS regards inhabitants of the Sarrp
basin. the domination which is termed
'odious' in your letter is the administra-
tion of the league of nations. The
scheme contained in section four has
been drawn up with the greatest care so
that. while it provides compensation for
the destruction of the coal mines in the
north of France. it also secures the
rights and welfare of the population.
They are assured of the maintenance
of all their present liberties and in
addition there are guaranteed TO them
in financial and social matters num-
Der of special advantages: moreover.
definite provision is made. after period
of fifteen years, for n plcbiscite which
will enable this population. which is
of so complex a character. to determine
the final form of government of the ter
ritory in which it lives, in full freedom
and not necessarily TO the advantage
either of France or Germany.
"As larger part of your two COM
municationS is devoted to observations
on the scheme concerning the Sarre
basin, | must explain that the Allied
and associated governments have chosen
this particular form Of reparatiOn
because it was felt that the destruction
of the mines in the north of France was
an act of such nature that definite
and exemplary retributiOn should be
eyacted: this object would not be at
tnined by the mere supply of a specified
or unspccificd amount of coal. This
scheme, therefore. in its general provi-
sions must be maintained and to this
thc Allied and associated powers are not
prepared to agree to any alternative.
Refuse Counter Proposal
.For TINS reason the suggestion you
make in your first letter for some other
means of making good the deficiency
Of coal-a suggestion which is developed
with more precision in the annex to your
second lctter-cannot be accepted. In
particular. I would point out that no
arrangement of the kind put forward
could give to France the security and
| certainty which she would receive from
the full exploitation and free ownership
of the mines of the Sarre.
similarly the proposed handing over
of shares in German coal mines situated
| in German territory and subject 10
German exploitation would be of doubt
ful value to French holders and would
create n confusion of French and Ger
man interests which. under present cir
cumstances, could not be contemplated.
The complete and immediate transfer to
Erance of mines adjacent 10 the French
! Frontier constitutes "A more prompt, Sc
cure and business like method OF com
ncnsation for the destruction of the
! French coal mines; at the same timt,
hv securing that the value of the mines
| sGould be credited TO the re. Grafton ac-
count due from Germany, 1t makes full
usr of them as a means of payment on
| tho general account of reparAtion.
| ''Jn some points your letter of the
18th seems to have been written undeg
| n misapprehenSion as to the meaning
and purport of certain articles III the
scheme. There is not. as you suggest.
in the treaty any confusion between
tradc contracts to be established for de-
! livery of coal from the tulr district
! (sce annex five of part cignt and the
cession of the Sarrc mines, the two Ques
tiops are essentially distinct.
1.-The Interpretation which you in
your letter place upon clause 30 of the
annex assumes that the effect of this
clause will be to bring about a result
which pmphatically is not one which
the Allied and associated governments
ever contemplated.
Minor Change Made
SIN order to remove any possibility
of misunderstanding, and in order to
hend as to Germany's ability to effect
the payment in gold contemplated in
this clause, the Allied and associated
| hayn dnpidaf thaf Snu,a nj