Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-17

Cal existence, take on q new Impulse, ana
thus give breadth to their banking opera
lions, and in a word amplify their activ-
tty. Divided in their interests. on the con-
trary, they are destined each to receive
mortal wounds 1t is thus time that they
awaken and occupy themselves with eco
nomical problems which constitute a part
of their destiny.
-
From the seventeenth century Holland
has looked upon Belgium as a sort of mill
tary chessboard of defense
military in case of war. 1t was in
Chessboard. this sense the treaties of
.Barriere'' were established
in 100 and 1715 which committed to the
states general of the united provinces the
guard of several fortresses of the Spanish
Netherlands. with the object of raising a
barrier against the invasion of Holland.
The principle. indeed, was invoked in 1870
when the minister of foreign affairs of Hol-
land sent word to the Belgian minister at
The Hague that: THE neutrality OF
your country is established by law. but you
will understand, monsieur, that ii will not
be our fault IL 1t is not esta bished in fact
Never. indeed. to the present time has
the urgency of events lent more authority
to the historic role of the treaties of the
Barriere, which are less to maintain the
integrity of Belgian territory than to keep
out powerful neighbors. There is. there
fore, for Europe an essential interest to re-
cStdOASll, HOl only tnlS strategic CneSSDOart
known as the Barriere." but the fore
mentioned economical system between Hol-
land and Belgium in the interest of uni
versal peace
1t is important that the ports of Holland
and Belgium which Europe may use col
lectively. should remain free In the hands
OF the two little autonomous nations which
created them. The state of dependency of
Europe may be readily imagined the day
| that Germany should possess them. Her eco
nomical preponderance would be crushing
Germany In fact, would, at one blow, be-
come the mistress of Europe and the pow
erful rival of America, which has already
suffered considerably from cheap manu-
| features made in Germany"
Holland and Belgium are both powerful
factors IN the commercial life of Europe
Inc former possesses hardy race of marin
| ers and a splendid coast line, the latter
shipyards, capital and a marked genius tor
industry in all its departments. COM
oinat1on of such resources would constitute
a great force in the interest of peace and
another argument for the Limitation of
ornaments II not the. ultimate abandon
ment of large armies.
The army of Holland according to recent
reports Is formed partly by CONSUMPTION
| and partly by enlistment the
military volunteers forming the stock
Forces. but not the majority of the
| troops. CONSUMPTION fur
nishes 1850 men, of whom 1890 are
destined for full term and $500 for short
| term. eight years being the nominal term
of service.
Besides the regular army. there is still
a militia known as "Schutterig," mainly for
internal defense, divided into two classes:
The first, the active or dienstdoende, the
second the resting or rustende All men
| from twenty-five to thirty belong to militia.
from thirty to thirty-ive to reserve. The
total militia Is 1916
The regular army on war footing con-
sists in all of $4,000 men. In peace the
total, in 1904. was 2S,247.
The most effectual means of defense con-
sists in piercing the dykes and inundating
a great stretch of land between the Zuiuer-
zee and the LEX. The few roads lying above
the level of the inundated country are
guarded by connected fortresses The rivers
are defended by gunboats and the greater
part of the province of Utrecht is thus
protected.
The army Of Belgium Is recruited by vol
untary enlistments. supplemented. If neces-
sary by annual levies of able-bodied men
who have completed their nineteenth year.
Substitution Is permitted. The annual con-
tingent required is 1850. The period of
service Is eight years. five in the reserve.
The war strength is 10000.
The system of defense of the territory is
based upon the stronghold at Antwerp. de-
Tended by belt of forts, by the valley of
the Mouse, belt Of forts around Namur
and another around Liege.
1T can be maintained judicially,'' writes
Baron Descamps. that there is nothing
wrong in a Holland Belgium alliance for
reciprocal defense. 1t can be said also that
it Is commanded by the superior interests
of the two continental powers whose prov
inces touch our frontiers, and who COM
mence to consider our derisve electives and
our ill-arranged defensive system. Col.
Gaedke, the celebrated military critic, in
emphasizing our well-known deficiencies, in
a recent article in the Berlin Tagblatt
"a hou
with which. in case of a conflict, SwitZer-
land will bristle-immense natural fortress
which rises in the center of occidental
Europe"
For divers reasons all Europe is inter-
ested in the system of barriers founded in
this case on the cooperation Of the Hol-
land Belgium forces And if it was neces-
Belgium might renounce the illusory bene-
fits of neutrality
For fact Germany herself" says NJ
Bale, will see her own interest when she
may cease to mediate irritating hopes
which check the progress of her own activ-
ity. 1t is precisely because We understand
the imperiOus desire which pushes her to-
ward our ports that exact guarantees.
Let Germany accord us these with good
grace and she may then find that our little
nations which were always cordial and gem
erous will be grateful But if on the con-
trary she refuses a great ehasm will open
between us, and we may say to her in the
words of profound Politician 1t is neither
our friends nor our allies who have asked
for our neutrality: but 1t is our enemy,''
An interparliamentary conference will ex-
anime with authority very soon the prac-
ticabiity~ of the reunion of Holland and
Belgium.
X
The ministerial crisis at The Hague be-
gun on the 18th ultimo is still unchanged.
e., The position of the Hol-
Crlsls at land war minister, Cen
The Hague. eral Stahl, Is admitted to
be untenable. This singu-
lar military reformer. who declared on ac-
cepting Office that he would not be
cheap minister" is In a fair way to prove
that ambiguous declaration. When Hol-
land Is most in need of soldiers. General
Stahl would convert them into militia!
M Van Houten "a familiar and sympa-
thetie name) is leading the fight against
Stahl, who would have been driven out
but for the political situation which
Is something like this: The right, with
Its three groups. numbers 40; the left
numbers 81. A member of the right
may not constitute a cabinet except with
the authorization Of the queen to dissolve
the second chamber on the first conflict.
Resides II tot, hot ola