SEDITION IN ALSACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 91, 27 January 1928, Page 6

SEDITION IN ALSACE

REPRESSIVE MEASURE. QUESTION OF LANGUAGES. The French Government recently decided to tune energetic measures to put an end to tne autonomist movement in Alsace. ’This decision was conveyed in a letter ft uni ine I'resident in the Council to a deputy of the Has Rflin, wiio had protested against tne recent suppression of three autonomist newspapers published m German. Al. Poincare approacned tne_ autonomist question from the point of view of its international reaction anti Franco-Ger-man relations. i

As French legislation does- not provide for the repression of autonomist intrigues it is tne Government’s intention, iVL. Poincare stated, to ask Parliament to pass an urgent bill for the repression of movements harmful to national union, whatever their form, and .whenever they may arise, but iu the meantime it must employ tfie means at its disposal and win utilise to this end laws such as that m virtue o'f which —the law in question provides for suppression of newspapers written in a foreign language—tne suppression of the three autonomist newspapers fian been enforced.

Pointing out the facilities recently given for the use of German in Alsace, the President of the Council denied that there was any desire to “outlaw” it as a language as lias been suggested. At the same time, her said, “German cannot be regarded in France as a second national language.”