The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-11-30

German. But it is not simple.
Plots and counter-plots COM
plicate the situation, inside
and outside the Saar, until the
chancelleries of the world
frankly fear bloOdshed.
The air is thick with rumors.
There is talk Of a Eazi putsch to
seize the territory by force. The
French are reported to have moved
up some Of their crack regiments,
ready to enter the disputed area the
moment trouble begins.
Terror is said to stalk through the
land as abOve-bcarG and under
ground organizations Of Saarlanders
threaten tne population with dire
consequences if they fail 20 vote
right" in the plebiscite-
Takes Name From River
The Saar is a river. 1t is about
$50 miles long. 1t rises in the Vos-
ges mountains of eastern France,
zig-Zags northWard through historic
Lorraine and the PruSsian Rhine
province, and empties into the Mo-
selle-the MoSelle of song and story
and Of heavenly vintageS-a few
miles above Treves.
Some ffty-four miles from its
confluence is the city of Saarbruck-
en-. Saarbrucken is on the left
bank. The town on the right bank
is Sankt Johann. But the two are
really one city, which every one calls
Saarbrucken, capital of the region.
1t has about $4,000 population.
Down the valley, all within a
stretch of fifteen miles or so, are the
smaller towns of Volkingen, Saar-
louis, Merzig and Mettlach. East
ward are Neunkirchen and other
centerS. Above most of them tower
chimneys and cupolas belching fire
and smoke, and other structures
from which pour rattleS and bangs
that proclaim them miniature old
world Pittsburghs.
This region, cluttered with settle
mentS, crisis crossed by barge-laden
rivers and canals, and gridironed by
a network of railways and highways,
is what is known as THE Saar
Basin" commonly called the Saar.
Vast Coal Deposits
The Saar is roughly thirty miles
long by twenty-five miles wide. 1t
has an area of only 730 square miles.
But there is a population of $4,000,
making it the most thickly settled
region of Europe.
One reason for this is that it also
is the third richest coal-produclng
area of the continent, after the
Ruhr and Upper Silesia. 1t is esti-
mated that its deposits exceed six
teen billion tons. And the presence
of SO much fuel naturally brings
allied industries - nietallurglcal,
glass and pottery works.
France and Germany have fought
over this and surrounding territory
for centuries. Across the 0aaf Dor
der is French Lorraine. with great
seams of iron. Economically the
entire Rhineland, including the
Ruhr. and northern and eastern
France should be one. For within
this area are coal and iron Suft1-
Gent to dominate the steel industry
of Europe, if not the world.
Charm Amid UgIiness
From the foregoing it would be
easy to get the impression that the
Saar is a very drab corner or
Europe. That would be an error.
It is most attractive-in spots even
beautiful.
A stones throw from the changing
mills and slagheapS are green
fields and wooded hills. Even along
the Sulz river, the most industrial
lied. most congeStea n3rt of t,e dis
trict. lazy LANDSCAPES G great charm
crowd in and dun The edge Of its
uglineSS. Wen-kept farms and To- :
ests screen the commOne ace and,
instead of the drGb. Smoke-and~duSt
begrimed row-houseS typical OF
American mine-and-mill towns, the
Saarianders live mostly in individual
cottages scattered about N carefully
worked gardens.
Most of the people were born
where they are. and their fathers
before them. More than so per
cent of the miners own their homes
and the beloved patches from which
they derive a good part Of their
food.
Mostly PrusSians. witt a Sprin-
king of BavarianS. the SaarlanderS
are an intensely home-loving lot
Germanic TO the bottom OF their
souls. In the early postwar years
they stubbornly fought the Com
munist revolution which shook Ber-
lin. Munich and the rest Of the
kaiser's domain. They wanted to
remain German and they wanted to
remain themselves.
French Influence Limited
For a thousand years. with the
exception Of two breaks. the basin
of the Saar has been German. In
only one spot-SaarlouiS-is the
French influence pronounced, and
that is more noticeable in the arch
itecture than in the people.
Louis XIV extended his influence
in this direction after the Thirty
Years War in 164S 1t is so recog-
nized in the treaty of WeStphalia
1t was he who RACED village then
on the site in 1880. and ordered his
great fortress builde- Fauban, "a
Law out SaarlouiS, the " that still
bears his name.
Later Napoleon Boz aparte added
the rest of the Saar 10 Frances
holdings. But NheE the first treaty
of Paris was drawn. after Napoleon
was exiled TO Elba in 1914. the tri-
color was hauled down everywhere
save over SaarlouS and Saarbrucker
and a little strip of ground on tine
right bank. Even this. however. was
lost o year later. For Napoleon
came back from Eiba, marched tc
his defeat at Waterloo and the Sec