Evening star., 1929-06-09
By FRANK H. SIMONDS.


TTHE still recent municipal elections
in France continue to supply a
topic of general and bitter COM
ment Almost on the tenth an
niversary of the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles, which restored to
France her lost provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine, the capitals of the two
Alsatian departments, those of the
Upper and Lower Rhine, have passed
into hands which are anti-natlonal.
Alike in Colmar and in StraSbourg the
city councils are now in enemy hands,
and even the traditionally faithful Null
house has seen the intrusion OF the
same element.
When one remembers the frantic and
almost hySterical enthusiasm with
which French troops we're welcomed
in Alsace in 1918. after the armistice,
and the fidelity of Alsatians to France
during all the years of the German
captivity after 1871. this transforma-
ton is at once astonishing and tragic.
Within 10 years, it would seem, France
has again lost the lost provinces
which she regained in the World war.
To be sure it must be noted that what
has happened in Alsace has not been
repeated in Lorraine. If Strasbourg
and Colmar have changed their minds,
Metz remains mistaken.
When one examines the details of the
Alsatian affair it becomes clear that it
cannot be interpreted as in any sense
a revelation of any pro-Gern1an Sentl-
ment. What has actually occurred Is
a triumph for a fusion of three quite
distinct elements, the Communists, the
Autonomists. both the clerical and anti
clerical factions, and, only in the third
rank. the Germans. Strasbourg is
great industrial city and its working
men belong to surprising extent TO
the Communist party. Theirs were the
more numerous votes in the coalition
and, measured in places, theirs were the
largest fruits in the victory.
Radicals Want Freedom.
The second element in the combina-
ton. the Landespartei. is at once sep
aratist and anti-clerical. While 1t con-
tains a considerable number of mem
bers who are actually pro-German. the
mass of the members seek separation
from France as before 1918 they sought
separation from Germany. Their war
cry is "Alsace for Alsations," their am
bition to see the erection of the province
into free state independent alike OF
France and Germany. Unlike the Com
munists, who derive their inspiration
from Moscow, they have no Bolshevist
France they are against the church.
Parallel to this group is the smaller
Union Popular, which expresses the
views of the Catholics, who are anti
French. because France has dlsestab-
lished the church, and who fear that
permanent union with the republic WILL
despite official promises, lead to the
extension of French laws to Alsace.
This party is, too, strongly supported
by the younger clergy for the addl,
tional reason that, having been trained
in Germany and speaking only Ger
man. these priests see their influence
and their position compromised. II
French again becomes the language OF
the masses.
Finally. there are the Germans. In
the years after the Franco-Prussian
War something more than 250,000 Ger
mans beyond the Rhine settled in
Alsace, replacing an equal number OF
Alsatians who moved out. This solld
block, which constituted perhaps fifth
of the whole population of Alsace in
1918, has been somewhat diminished by
emigration and expulsion. But par
ticularly in the cities, it has strength.
And, since it naturally desires the re-
turn of German rule. its tactics are
expressed in the effort to join in any
coalition which embarrasses French rule
ana pOSUpOneS LIE COIIlpleIc ICA1lGCS4d-
ton of the Rhineland.
Germans Encourage Disorder.
Obviously this combination is incon-
gruous in the extreme. A fusion of
Bolshevists, anti-Clericals. Clericals and
Germans can only be held together by
negative considerations. All, for far
different reasons, are against French
rule in Alsace, all desire to see Alsace
freed from France. The Communists
desire to make it the base for Boil
shevist campaign both in France and
Germany, the AutonomiSts want to set
up a free state in which they will have
political control. The Germans want
to keep up the disorder until such time
as they hope Germany will be able, de-
spite the Locarno pledge, to retake the
lost land.
All of these various forces would
not perhaps have been able to make
much real progress, however. had it
not been for the blunders of the French
themselves. Like the Germans after
1870, the French believed that in COM
ing back to Alsace they were coming
to a land inhabited by people who were
in all things at one with them. Like
the Germans the French brought
whole army of officials, who undertook
to set up French system, as the Ger