76 THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE CH.

years hence the population of the district will becalled upon to indicate by plebiscite their desires asto the future sovereignty of the territory ; and, inthe event of their electing for union with Germany ,Germany is to be entitled to repurchase the minesat a price payable in gold. 1

The judgment of the world has already recognisedthe transaction of the Saar as an act of spoliationand insincerity. So far as compensation for the de-struction of French coal-mines is concerned, this isprovided for, as we shall see in a moment, elsewherein the Treaty . "There is no industrial region inGermany," the German representatives have saidwithout contradiction, " the population of which isso permanent, so homogeneous, and so little complexas that of the Saar district. Among more than650,000 inhabitants, there were in 1918 less than100 French. The Saar district has been German for more than 1000 years. Temporary occupationas a result of warlike operations on the part of theFrench always terminated in a short time in therestoration of the country upon the conclusion ofpeace. During a period of 1048 years France haspossessed the country for not quite 68 years inall. When, on the occasion of the first Treaty ofParis in 1814, a small portion of the territory nowcoveted was retained for France , the populationraised the most energetic opposition and demanded

1 Part IV. Section IV. Annex, Chap. III.