Evening star., 1929-12-01

as a detail in the settlement of contest
When Napoleon abdicated in 1914
his conquerors, by the first treaty Of
Paris, left to France all of the Sarre
| territory on the left bank of the river,
including the fortress town of Sarre-
Louis, which had been taken by Louis
XIV, and was the birthplace of Marsha!
Ney. After Waterloo, however, the
French frontier was pushed back from
the Sarre and the new frontier thus
created was re-established at the peace
conference, when AlSace-Lorraine was
! restored to France.
In 1915 the Prussian anxiety to &C
quire all of the Sarre Basin was based
upon knowledge of the existence there
of great coal deposits, which constitute
the economic value of this region. The
settlement of 1915 thus deprived France
OF what would undoubtedly have been
the second largest coal-producing ter
ritory within her frontiers.
Iron Mines Cause Jealousy.
! In 1871, by the treaty of Frankfort,
when Germany took Alsace-Lorraine,
she also acquired enormous iron de-
posits in all the region about Metz. At
the moment it was believed that Ger
many had seized all the iron in the
east Of France. But few years later
deposits equally rich were discovered
in the Briey region, within sight of the
new frontiers. One of the avoWed aims
of the Germans during the World War
was the annexation of the Briey dis
trict, which was occupied during the
first days of the struggle.
After the German defeat France de-
manded not alone the return of Alsace-
Lorraine, which was required in the
armistice terms but also the return of
the Sarre Basin, lost century before.
The French claim was based upon the
forcible annexation of this region by
Prussia and Bavaria.
In addition to the historical claim,
the French also presented strategic and
economic reasons for their demand
Strategically, possession of the Sarre
Valley would give them considerable
river barrier stretching across the north
ern frontier Of Lorraine. Even more
impressive was the economic reason, for
the Sarre coal had become a vital ele-
ment in the industrial life of AlSace-
Lorraine, now to be returned to France.
And France, poor IN coal, could not
make up the deficit If Lorraine and the
Sarre were separated by tariff walls.
Finally the French asked for the
Sarre as recompense for their own coal
regions. which had been ruthlessly and
wantonly devastated by the Germans
during their retreat or wrecked by more
! than four years OF lighting.
Wilson Upset French Plan.
No sooner had President Wilson ar
rived in Paris however, than he inter-
posed strong veto. first upon the
larger French ambitions, which looked
to making the left bank of the Rhine
the military frontier of France from
Switzerland to Holland, and then upon
the more modest project of annexation
| Gf
President argued from the start that
the population Of the Sarre was Ger
man and desired to remain German,
and that ceSSion to France would be q
violation Of the principle Of self-deter-
mination.
For many weeks the battle ragged.
Finally it was left to subcommittee,
which worked out an ingenious and
| complicated settlement. The ultimate
disposition of the territory was to be
determined by plehiscite in 1885. This
guaranteed application of the principle
OF Self-determination. But until that
date the district, administered by the
League of Nations. should be included
within the customs frontiers of France.
And all of the coal mines and proper
ties were transferred to the ownership
OF the French government outright.
With the passing of time certain facts
have become clear. In the first place,
even the French soon discovered that
the population was overwhelmingly Ger
man and that any plebiscite would be
sure to produce German victory. On
the other hand, the economic interde-
pendence of the Sarre and of Alsace-
Lorraine was just as clearly disclosed.
Region Enjoys Prosperity.
French capital poured into the Sarre
to develop the mines, never fully ex-
| rNlniteH InHy nA uThn had
centrated their attention upon the Ruhr
and Upper Silesia. Thus the Sarre en-
ioyed unprecedented prosperity. AlSace-
Lorraine prof1ted by cheap coal sup
ply since the Sarre coal could be moved
easily to the nearby French districts
French capital found a profitable in
vestment and France found in the Sarre
a better market for French products
than in any French colony save Algeria.
But always the French perceived that
in the end the Sarre must go back to
Germany. And before such return
French policy considered the possibility
Of meeting the ever-growing German
demand for an earlier return by some
counterclaim to a permanent economic
adjustment.
And it is at this point that the mat
ter now stands. The Germans argue
that the moment has come when French
troops should retire from all the occu-
pied districts. They assert correctly
that the treaty of Versailles foreshad-
owed evacuation of the Rhineland be-
| fore 1885 If Germany fulfilled her obli-
| cations, financial and military They
declare that once the Young plan is
adopted. that moment will have ar
rived. And they insist that the Locarno
| pacts give France security. Finally,
they emphasize the fact that the French
coal mines are all restored.
French Opinion Divided.
In France there is a division of
| opinion. All parties and leaders agree
that evacuation can only take place
when French material interests have
been duly guaranteed. Beyond this
point BRAND and those who follow him
believe that prompt evacuation of all
German territory will contribute greatly
| to Franco-German reconciliation, while
delay will play into the hands of the
| German NationaliStS. who would over
throw Locarno and all the BRAND
| StreSemann adjustment. This is the
view OF the Socialists and of the Radi-
cal Left generally-that is, Of the pres
ent opposition.
on the other hand, there is a strong
Nationalist group which argues that at
the present time the French frontier
! Is practically defenseless, as the Ger
man forts in AlSace-Lorraine were built
to cover the region against French at
tack. II France Is to retire from the
last Of the three segments of occupied
Rhineland when the Young plan goes
into effect, this group argues that
France should keep at least q foothold
In the Sarra until a NAM s1yetauo ~s