Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
Denmark May Be Real Object of Gsrmany's
Next Expansion.
SCANDINAVIAN PEOPLE MAY GET CLOSER
Norway and Sweden Might Be Forced to
Again Unite.
PLAN OF sToRTHlNG pLEAsEs STOCKHOLM
Probabilities Are that No Further
Trouble VIII Come Between
lions which VIII Now
Formally Separate.

STOCKHOLM Sweden. Aug ls.-Cspecial
Cablegram to The Bee)- reports that
Germany and Russia would close the Baltie
sea, indirectly with the assistance of swe-
den and Denmark. with the object OF pro-
tecting themselves against England, was
At first treated here as subject not worth
mentioning. Suddenly. however, the sup
posed project has become a topic OF general
discussion.
The German suggestion that the Baltic
sea should be converted into a mare
,lausum. accessible only to the navies of
The powers whose coasts are washed by
The sea, may therefore be said to fore
shadow new alignment In European poll
tics. And coming as It does Just at this
Time when there is trouble between Nor
way and Sweden. It presents some inter-
sting complications.
One reason why the project Of treating
he Baltic as closed sea Is attracting un-
Usual attention is found in the fact that
he British naval visit TO Baltic waters
low In progress is being considered a sort
d counter demonstration to the recent
5erman visit. Newspapers and politicians
here begin to regard Il as a political dem
'nstration Of the,first Importance. which Is
calculated to counterbalance. ~ not to out
weigh, the impression created by the recent
under discussion.
The air OF proprietorship with which dur
ing the last few weeks the German navy
has been arranging receptions for itself
or the Danish and Scandinavian coast has
been observed with somewhat mixed feel
Ing at Copenhagen, at Stockholm and at
Christanla. The imperial meeting in the
Gulf OF Finland between the czar and the
kaiser belongs in a sense TO the same cate
CORY How imperative and how impressive
the appearance OF British ships in these
waters is may we'll be gathered from the
fact that no sooner mad the news Of this
cruise on the part of the English channel
fleet become known than the agitation was
started in Berlin by a couple OF chauvenist
journals.
sweden's Place Peculiar.
The Baltic has been facetiously styled
'the jumping OF place for the admiraIs
OF the Atlantic II Is dificuit TO under
stand, outside OF the mere politics Of the
matter, what interest Sweden could have
in being condemned to tete-n-tete in the
Baltic either with Germany or Russia
Denmark, II under the obligation of closing
the sound and the great and little belt
would expose itself to an attack by the
English, which would place its insular
territory in their hands. II would risk more
In assuming those new obligations than in
strictly fulfilling those imposed upon II by
its present Independent position Russia,
which has nothing TO fear from a British
feet for the broken coast line of Finland,
would have no great interest in tying its
hands and indirectly consenting in advance
to an invasion Of Denmark by Germany.
Al the same time II begins to appear here
TO the students of diplomacy as though
the Mediterranean was not a sufflcient field
for the operations of German enthusiasm
and energy. There are those, however. who
regard the entire matter as balIon d'essai
J by Prince Bulow to ascertain the present
direction of diplomatic currents. Germany
might almost succeed in closing the Baltic
II 1t were to complete the absorption of
Denmark and to impose its suzerainty upon
Sweden.
Cables Trouble Kaiser.
Unfortunately for himself the kaiser IN
his attempt to create the Baltic into a sort
or Black sea seems to have omitted the
cables from mis- calculations The result
has been that his diplomatic Juggling has
been quickly discovered by the powers con-
cerned. The German plans which succeeded
30 admirably in 1870 have been frustrated
by the more modern and more rapid
methods OF communication. The schemes
Of the kaiser nave been made known to All
OF the chancelleries shortly after thev were
propounded, and have consequently beep
rendered innocuous. The attempt OF the
kaiser 70 place prince OF his house uDop
the throne of Norway failed because ~
premature publicity. The recent conferarca
with the car suffered because OF the
hurried counter movements on the part ~
the other nations OF Europe.
As result of all this discussion and Of
these attempts TO drag Norway and sweden
IN n - HNaN
sible that the two Scandinavian nations
will be driven together and Obliged IN don't
at least some common means OF ofrense and
defense. This union OF the two countries
possibly not under a single executive. but
connected by some form OF treaty or al
hance might have been brought about IN
the near future In any event. Possibly the
movements Of the German emperor I'm refer
ence 10 the closed sea have only prerlni
tated matters. England, which Is friendI,
70 Sweden, which will be shown nv tie
coming OF the channel fleet. may be relied
Up0n to use It's good Offices with Norway
a referendum was one of the two alterna-
i've methods suggested by the speeIal
COMMITTEES OF the Swedish Riksdag OF giving
the Norwegian people an opportunity OF
manifesting their will clearly and categor-
ically on the subject Of union The other
was the dissolution OF the present s,crtbina
and a general election. The Norweeinns
took the shorter and less combersoms
method. A general election In the present
temper OF the Norwegian people would
probably have made very little difference
In the composition OF the storthing.
A 10 Norwegian Vote.
The Norwegian government therefore has
not allowed itself to be influenced by the
purely academic argument that the Norwe-
gian constitution does not provide for a
referendum. In their acceptance of the
Swedish suggestion and in their choice OF
the method of putting that suggestion
into effect the Norwegians have taken a
position which will make II easter Tor the
two nations 10 cooperate in the event OF
necessity or in emergency provided they are
4 menaced by outside foes.
The swedes on their side nave been fairly