The Ordway new era., 1907-03-01
ctTY TONG m pawn
swepEN, NOT REpEeMiNo Wis
MAR, IT BECOMES GERMAN.
pledged by King eustavus ~. for Loan
Of a Million Dollars-consid.
cred Finest Harbor Site
on Baltic Coast.

London. port OF $4,000
people on the Baltic. situated In the
German duchy OF Mecklenours'
Schwerln. but belonging legally TO
Sweden. has recently become Ger
man city. 1t was pledged by King
Gustavus ". for loan of sl,OOO'OOo,
and the king OF Sweden having failed
TO redeem il within the century It has
passed 10 the duke OF MecklenburE
Schwerin. from whose ancestors the
money was borrowed,
In the early part OF the eighteenth
century the most powerful enemy oi
Sweden, after the destruction OF the
Hanseatic league, a kind OF trade
union established by certain German
cities for safety and commercial pur'
poses. captured Wismar and razed the
fortifications. Afterward peace was
declared and the city reverted 10
Sweden, but with the provision that
she should not rebuild the forunca'
tions. The place thus lost It's
strength and Importance and became
instead an element Of weakness TO the
Swedes. Its great sea trade was
ruined and its inland trade lost.
Under these circumstances II was
not surprising that the Swedes tired
1T last OF their white elephant SO IN
the reign OF the incompetent and eN
travagant Gustayis ". with territory
lost to the French in one war. with
Finland lost to Russia, with defeat In
a war against Norway, the Swedes
seized an opportunity to relieve them.
selves OF the burden OF possession
The direct opportunity was given
by the cancellation by Gustavus Of his
engagement TO the daughter OF Duke
Tiseerick Franz /. That person not
unnaturally resented the insult aHd
threatened dire things. Finally his
threats crystallIzed into a demand for
an enormous indemnity. The money
had to be raised at once, The duchy
of Mecklenburg advanced l.25S.o0o
reichsthaler and took Wismar, Neuk.
loster and the Island OF Poel as Sc
curity.
Under the conditions OF the loan the
city of Wismar and the two govern
ments were TO remain in pledge for
100 years. At the end Of that time
Sweden might claim and obtain the
pledged city and land by paying back
the original loan, with three per cent
compound interest.
A further provision. however, Of the
lean was that should Sweden fai! TO
take any notice whatever OF the eX.
piration of the time the contract would
be thereby renewed for another 100
years. The sum which Sweden would
have ha. TO pay II she wanted to claim
Wismar and the two government dis.
trtcts is figured as amounting to s27.-
100000. and this alone. quite apart
from considerations Of policy. oper.
ated. doubtless, as a bar against the
assertion OF her rights
1t will be seen that while the imme.
date business transaction dates back
but about 100 years. any diplomatic
squabbles over the city now would
have TO revert to the surrenders and
armistices of the Thirty Years war
I61s-4s. And the fact that heretofore
Wismar has been Swedish territory
explains why Germany has not forti.
fed the port, which is considered the
finest harbor site Of the entire Baltic
coast Under the Swedish-Dauish
treaty fortitications were not to be
built and when the duchy Of Meckien-
burg took over the place the stipula-
tfon was renewed.