Evening star., 1927-04-24
DEMAND FOR REPUBLIC
IN ALSACE STIRS FRANCE
Local and German Agitation for Auton
omy Aided by Church, and
Paris Is Puzzled.

men themselves. Presently the agita
ton took the definite form Of an In
sistence that the teaching OF Frencl
in the primary schools should be sur
pressed. In the seminaries books y
French were burned and Frencl
students, coming from across tn
Vosges, who refused to share in theS
demonstrations were subjected to I'm
pleasant treatment. Clubs wen
formed in which only German wa
allowed to be spoken. And this tool
place in precisely these higher school
where the new teachers were beinl
trained.
Today a campaign Of hatred agains
everything French is carried on In tn
churches everywhere. Every sort q
lie about the situation Of the churcl
and of religion in France is circulated
There Is a record Of the story told II
one village that the French govern
ment had suppressed the Concorda
to the churches and TO make Of then
houses of prostitution. and that whel
this suppression took place in Alsac
the French police would search tn
houses of the people to seize the cru
cifixes. So far has this campaign
the clergy been carried that tn
Bishop of Strasbourg. NJ. Ruch. ma
publicly warned the clergy agains
mixing in politics.
Alsatian Problem Ignored.
With the arrival of the Herriot cab
net. in 1924, this campaign took on
new violent form, coinciding with tn
re-opening by the radical government
of the old battle between church AMI
state in France. There were strike
Of the children. There was even al
open revolt Of some of the function
aries, who set their names to peti
ton which at last reused the Frencl
government and led to reprisals AM
punishment. In the main, however
the French government ignored thl
whole Alsatian problem And this yer,
policy slowly. but surely, undermined
the confidence Of the Alsatians VIII
were Francophile.
But it was not until two years ag
that this Alsatian movement at las
broke out in the open. A new news
paper, the Zukunft, proposed the crea
tfOn OF an Alsatian republic, mOdele'
upon the Swiss. This was the sigma
for the new phase Of the battle whicl
is now progressing. On the staff
this journal were former employees q
the German propa uganda service. 70
gether with former German officials
Concomitantly appeared the Heimat
bund, the association Of the cham
pions OF autonomy. Now there wa
openly advocated the creation OF 1
tariff boundary between Alsace ani
France. Not only was the Alsatiai
republic thus launched out. a presi
dent was selected in advance. VIII
had been an officer in the GermaI
navy during the war.
The manifesto of the Heimatbund
advocating this Alsatian republic, wal
signed by Office holders, priests, pas
| tors. mayors and a whole flock O.
minor officials. Two Alsatian mem
bers of Parliament signed it, but al
the last moment withdrew theil
names. The publication of this ap
peal at last reused the French gov
ernment as it similarly stirred
French sympathizers in Alsace. Tar
dily punishments were imposed, bul
now the guilty inevitably became
martyrs.
GarrisOns Are Attacked.
Later the Heimatbund turned itt
attacks upon the garrisons. 1t de
manded that the French troops in AL
SAGE should be recalled and in towns
like Hagenau, where the Heimatbund
is strong. the soldiers and officer
were subjected to every form of In
suit. Opposition to the service OF
Alsatian recruits in the French Army
was openly voiced. Thus the effect
Of the campaign, If it succeeded,
would be at one time to deprive
France OF the service Of the Alsatiap
conscripts and to leave the French
frontier open TO German invasion.
Concomitantly with this Alsatian
operation there was carried on a Ger,
man campaign bared upon the thou
sands of Germans who were permitted
to become French citizens by tha
treaty of Versailles. Wireless was
employed to send from German soil
German propaganda to all Alsace. Re.
ceiving sets were distributed widely
to permit the separatist doctrine to be
disseminated.
Two movements are thus clearly
disclosed, the native and local agita
ton for autonomy and the German
effort to make us of this local agita
ton to bring about the separation OF
Alsace from France, with the patent
purpose ultimately to regain the lost
province. For obviously Alsace fl
too small to exist outside the tariff
walls of some great power, and II
France loses Alsace, Germany must
gain It.
LOcarnO Is Weakened.
This operation OF German propa
ganda, however, has had it's effect in
France. 1t has much weakened the
popularity of Locarno. 1t has un,
mistakably lessened the chances Of
any immediate evacuation Of the
Rhineland. 1t may yet restore the
question Of Alsace-Lorraine as
cause for later Franco German quar-.
rels, If not as the reason for a new
war.
And one must also recognize that
this is not only a present, but a grow.
ing danger. For the French sen.
timent and activity in Alsacy are man.
ifestly increasing. 1t may be a con.
siderable exaggeration to say that
Alsace Is lost TO France, but it is no
longer beyond the truth to say that
the danger of losing it has become
real and imminent. And in France.
while the fact is slowly becoming ap-
preciated, the remedies are yet un.
fCopyriEht. 1877