The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-02-29
Baron Speck Won Siernburg Re-
flutes the Story
NO LUST FOR TERRITORY
The World is Large Enough and All
They Want is q Fair Chance to
Compete on Equal Terms With
Other Countries.

NEW YORK, Feb. 2S--Baror
Speck Won Sternburg. the German
Ambassador at Washington. has ar
article in the North American Review
which appeared today, on "The Truth
about German Expansion" refutins
reports OF Germany's designs on Hol
land and Belgium, aud explaining
Germany's real policy on expansion
The Ambassador says:
! Especially during the last two
years it has been noticed by those in
terested in the worlds development
that number OF papers Of Western
Europe, have circulated the reports
that the independence Of the two
small states Holland and Belgium il
jeopardized in consequence OF the
war spirit and lust for territory al
legged to exist in Germany. The re-
ports, TO which / refer, seek also TO
interest the American people by as
serting tina tthe underlying reason for
Germany's purpose to acquire the
Netherlands, arises ont OF our ambi-
ton to possess territory in the west.
ern hemisphere. The Island of Cura-
Gao in the Caribbean Sea is pointed
to as a constant object OF our keen
solicitude. Should Germany, it is
stated, succeed in annexing the Meth
erlands, her colonies naturally will
pass with the mother country.
in an article printed in the May
number 1906 Of the North American
Review, The Phantom Perils of Ger
man Emigration and South-American
Settlements ! have already given a
clear expose of Germanys policy in
the southern hemisphere and proved
that there is not shadow OF truth in
the attacks directed against it by po-
litical columniators.
Even such politicians who cannot
ignore the conspicuous fact that the
German Emperor is an enthusiastic
advocate of the Peace Movement;
that the German Government since
thirty-seven years--that is, ever since
the great national strife Of the years
l8O-l87l-has striven always for
peace and always has been less active
than any other country in the direct
ion of expansion; that the German
nation has no other wish than pacifi-
cally to mind its own business even
such politicians frequently believe, or
profess to believe,-in spite OF Ger
many's love of peace which, ever since
the German Empire came into exist
ence, has been demonstrated by his
tory to be an incontestable fact, that
this peace-loving Germany ultimately,
by force of circumstance of logical
development, will be coerced into
annexing Holland and the Flemish
part of Belgium, containing the great
port of Antwerp.
Usually it has been stated that
Germany has an annual increase in
population of 100000, that these new
masses must be supported by man
ufactories, and that the German Emp
ire will thus be coerced, with or
against its will, into expansion, in
order to procure the raw material and
to establish the requisite markets for
its industrial growth. The annexa-
ton of Holland and Flemish Belgium,
containing Antwerp, are described as
mere preliminary necessary to
make possible such measures of ex-
pansion. Germany must enlarge its
maritime basis, and should have con-
troll of the Lower Rhine and its har-
bors. To the alien, these arguments
may seen plausible enough. Whoever
is acquainted with existing conditions
however, knows, that though seem
ingly plausible, this is not the truth
I'm the first place, it is not true
that colonial expansion is a necessity
for Germany, resulting from its in
dustrial growth. The impetus given
to German commerce and German
manufactures is to be ascribed far
more to the increase in buying capac-