Evening star., 1928-06-03

TT is well over 100 years since Bona
parte voiced this Enthusiastically
Napoleonic commentary on the Al
i satan people: What matter II
they speak in German so long as
they fight in French?"
So long as the AlSatians continued to
fight in French, for Napoleon's purposes
of empire, their Germanic language did
not matter. But even so, there Is some
thing in the Corsican generals crisp
pronouncement which pointed an orac-
ulsr finger at what France calls ''le
malaiSe AlSacien." For when Napoleon
spoke these words Alsace- Lorraine had
heen an integral part of France for a
full century and half-yet her people
still clung to the German tongue
There is little Ionder today. then
that the Alsatians speak in German"
and that the centuried clash between
linguistic and geographical allegiance
StlN persists. So much so that the
A,Sace-Lorrsine which France fought to
recover with such Latin fury from 1914
10 1918 now presents the spectacle
only 10 years after the war-of being
the greatest internal problem which the
French nation has to solve.
For some three weeks the eyes OF
France and Germany alike centered
upon the trial of Is autonomist agi-
tators in the Court Of Assizes at Col
mar, midway between Mulhauser and
Strassburg. These defendants were
charged with having plotted against the
safety OF the state, How? By refusing
10 recognize the present status OF
AlSace-LorraIne In the French republic
as giving the AlSatian people their just
requirements of political and religious
freedom. Because they demanded au-
tonomy ana campaigned for 1t with
every peaceful means possible the Ques-
ION OF home rule came before the
French bar.
Needless to say, this Comsr jury Of
sturdy Alsatian citizans-all of whom.
incidentally. spoke either their own Al
satan dialect or German far more
1aclely than French-cculd not settle
the fate Of the autonomist movement in
AlSace. The 'malalse Alsacien" will re-
main. And that is why scores Of Berlin
and Paris correspondents reported the
proceedings IN this barnlike country
courtroom, day after day. while poilus
renamed al attention with bavonet-
fixed rilies-muta evidence that France
woalo tolerate no recource to force.
WHAT is al the root of this pop-
ularIy called unrest in Alsace2
Ano has the old order so changed. SINCE
Napoleon's Gay, that now 1t does matter
very decidedly that approximately Is
Per cent Of the nearly two million in
naoitants o. Alsace-Lorraine speak Ger
man oy preference rather than French9
With these questions in mind I went
70 Colmar 20 see Alsatian autonomy on
trial before French justice. But thera
L need TO go much farther back than
the agitatlons which precipitated thp
ColHlar trial TO gain fair appreciation
q the complexiiy Of the situation in
Alsaee today.
mat the automatic movement in the
boToer provinces is so strong as u have
caused the election Of three hone-r1lle
deputies in the recent elections was OF
itself significant That two OF these
deputies-elect-Dr. R:chlin. former
member q the German Reichsta1. and
Josepn Rosse-vere among the IS ac-
cused piotters acdec color to the Col
mar case. That charges were circulated
that all Is autonomists received monev
from German agents gave an tnterna-
tlonal spice 70 the affair Yet none
q these interesting news aspects cz-
plains why there should be q pro-
Taou-1ced revolt against French admin
astrstion, Of al places IN the Alsacs-
Lorraine fer which France willingly
gave 50 much
4 distinguished French investigator
into the situation IN the departments Of
the Aoeelle and Upper and Lower
Rhine has said the phrase "malasse
AlSacsen' Is wrong II should &c
plural Ee proceeds 10 list several
types q unrest, but the main causes of
friction II Alsace may be said 70 De
tETee-Hnguistic religious and admins
tTztsTe
The history CT Alssce Lorraine de-
raonstTates amply that none Of these
sore spots ag new. Certainly the nrtt
two hare been predominant there ever
since C1aEIernsgne divided his empire
and gaze the middle kingdom" the