no EMPLOYMENT OF THE PLEBISCITE [408 



tracted the Peace of Prague^" Finally, these two parties 

 by the Treaty of October ii, 1878, abrogated Article V."^ 



The unification of Italy had given Napoleon the occasion 

 to acquire Savoy and Nice in order to obtain for France 

 security of its boundaries. The same motive in 1867, on 

 the occasion of the formation of the North German Federa- 

 tion, prompted the French desire to secure the annexation 

 of Luxemburg®- again, of course, on the basis of self-deter- 

 mination. 



The principle of popular consent was stressed in a state- 

 ment to the French Parliament after the North German 

 Reichstag had opposed the acquisition of Luxemburg by 

 France. Moustier told the Assembly that France would 

 consider the acquisition only if, aside from other considera- 

 tions, the population of Luxemburg should express their 

 wishes to that effect by universal suflfrage.®^ An appeal 

 from Luxemburg read by Benningsen in the North German 

 Reichstag in April seemed to indicate that the people of 

 Luxemburg, despite their French sympathies, preferred 

 Prussia to France. " If it were not too openly whispered," 

 so the passage in question read, " that by secret agreement 

 we have long been given up by Prussia, you could be as- 

 sured that there would be no lack of popular expression of 

 our sentiments. In case of a plebiscite, a somewhat certain 

 expectation of a treaty, in any way acceptable, with Prussia 

 would suffice to insure everywhere a vote favorable to the 

 German cause. "'^* 



However, no agreement between Prussia, France, and 

 Holland could be secured, and the Luxemburg question was 

 solved at the Conference of London without a plebiscite."'. 



Notwithstanding the consistent opposition of both Eng- 

 land and Germany to the principle of national self-determi- 



^o Ibid., p. 32. 



"1 Text quoted by Frcudenthal, pp. 34-35. 



^2 Frcudenthal, pp. 35-36. 



«3Ibid., p. 36. 



"* Quoted by Frcudenthal, p. 36, from Staatsarchiv, vol. xiii, p. 29- 



"'^ Freudenthal, p. 36. 



