Alsace

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 74, 17 August 1914, Page 7

Alsace

A LAND OF MANY WARS. STUBBORN RESIKTA'NOE IN 1870 RECALLED. Alsace is one of the most fertile and beautiful districts in Central Europe, and ever since the days of the Romans it lias- also been one of the most disputed pieces of territory on the Continent. It is bounded on the north bv die Rhenish Palatinate, on (he east bV the Khine, on the south by Switzerland. i and on the west by the Vosges mountains. There are several ranges of hills, but no point within the province attains a great elevation. The only river of importance is the 111, which falls into the Rhine after a course of more than 100 miles, and is navigable below Colmar. The hills are genei'aUy richly wooded, chiefly with fir, beech and oak. The agricultural products 'are com. flax, grapes, anil various other fruits. The country lias a great wealth of minerals, silver having been found, and copper, lead, iron, coal, and rocksalt being wrought with profit. There are considerable manufactures, chiefly of cotton and linen. The chief towns are Mulhauscn and Colmar in the upper district, and Strassburg in the lower. The province is traversed from east to west by the railway from Strassburg to Nancy, and from north to south bv the main line between Basle and Strassburg. For five hundred years Alsace was held by the Romans, and then it fell under the sway of the Franks, from whom it eventually passed to the House of Austria. In 104S, a large part of Alsace was ceded to France by the Treaty of Westphalia, after laving been } reduced to a state of desolation during the Thirty Years War. In 1(181 Louis XIV seized Strasslmrg and the rest of the province, and after the Revolution in 178!) the town of Mulhansen. which | had been a republic allied to Switzerland, was acquired by France. The population was mainly Teutonic, and the people spoke a German dialect, but in process of time they had lost all desire for reunion with Germany and considered themselves French. Alsace suffered a good deal in the Franco-Prussian War of IS7O-71. The earlier battles of the campaign were fought there; Strassburg and others of its fortified towns were besieged and taken; and its people were compelled to submit to very severe exactions. The civil and military government of the province, as ■well as that of Lorraine, was assumed by the Germans as soon as they obtained possession of those parts of France, which was very shortly after the beginning of the war. The Alsatian railways were reorganised and provided with a staff of German officials. German stamps were introduced from Berlin; the occupied towns were ■garrisoned by the Landwehr; and requisitions on a large scale were demanded, and paid for in cheques which, at the close of the war. were to be honored bv whichever people should stand in the unpleasant position of tin: conquered. The people, notwithstanding their German origin, showed a very strong feeling airainst the invaders, and in no part of France was the enemy resisted with greater stubbornness. T. was evident from an earlv period of tlio war, however, that Prussia was resolved to annex Alsace to Germany territory. When 'he preliminaries of peace came to bo discussed at Versailles in February, 1871. the cession of Alsace, together with what is ea'led German Lorraine, was one of the earliest conditions laid down hv Bismarck and accepted by Thiers. Bismarck admitted Ike aversion of the population to German rule, but said everything possible would be done to conciliate the people. Many of 'die inhabitants of the conquered districts. however, still clung to the old connec■tion. and on •September HO, IS72—the dav bv which the people were required to' determine whether they would coni sider themselves German subjects and remain, or French subjects and transfer their domicile to Franco-'!5.000 j elected to continue French and sorrowfully took their departure.