The sun., 1908-02-28
The German Ambassador on German
Expansion.

In the leading article of the March
number of the North American ReVieV
Baron SPECK Won STERNBURG, the Am
bassadOr Of Emperor WILLIAM II. at
Washington, ridiculcs what he terms the
fairy tales which ascribe to the German
sovereign a desire if not a settled pur-
pose to annex Holland, or Belgium. or
both. These stories do not emanate, he
says, from The Hague or Brussels, much
less are they made in Germany" In
his opinion they are manufactured by
a group of writer's inspired by infuen-
tial politicians of some Powers of
western Europe" or. in other words, Of
France and England.
Why does not the German Empire de-
sire to round out its territory by the
annexation of Holland, Belgium, Den
mark and the German speaking prov
inces Of the Austrian or cisleithan
monarchy? Baron SPEcK Won STERN
BURG gives two reasons, one politico-
economical and he other political He
does not indeed, deny that it would
be insupPortable to Germany to have the
harbors and ports of the Rhine, whereby
the products of the highly developed
Rhine Province reach the sea, controlled
by certain foreign Powers, as. for ex-
ample, France or England. He insists,
however, that it is a matter of complete
indifference to Germany whether the
vessels on their journey to the mouth of
the Rhine pass along banks under the
dominion of Germany or of Holland, or
of Belgium, because the traffic on that
river is exempt from any impost or
restriction, and could not be more free
If Germany controlled all the adjacent
districts. This freedom has been secured
by the so-called Rhine Traffic Treaties,
entered into by the interested States.
The Ambassador further AYERS that
Germany's ocean commerce suffers in
no wise from the transportation of the
Rhine products on the Rhine, inasmuch
as these German commodities are re-
shipped on German ocean steamers from
the ports at the mouth of the river. He
maintains, then, that the politico-eco-
nomical arguments for the annexation
of Belgium and Holland are based on
false premises.
Passing 70 the political argument that
Germany must naturally desire to en-
large her territory and population,
Baron SPECK Won STERNBURG insists
that the assumption evinces q miscon-
ception Of the spirit and purpose of
the federal constitution Of the German
Empire He points out that Germany
Is not a federation with which other
States can readily be Incorporated. The
individual States forming the federal
union are Of greatly varying dimensions,
and consequently are represented in the
Bundesrath or Federal Council by a
varying number Of votes. The relation
Of the States to each other forms COM
plicated, equipoise system, into which
the introduction of other States would
by no means be an easy matter. The
introduction Of foreign body Of notable
size, such, for example, as the German
speaking section of Austria, would lead
many OF the individual States 10 demand
q reorganization Of the representation
by votes in the Federal Council. This
Is undoubtedly true. Such annexation
would disturb the arrangement by which
Prussia is made the cornerstone Of the
German Empire. Also, Protestant ascen-
de1cy in the Empire would be endangered,
for the Catholics of Austria and Belgium
would greatly outnumber the Protestants
OF the Netherlands.
These are the grounds on which the
German Ambassador at Washington
contends that neither from the political
nor the politico-economical point Of view
need Hollanders and Belgians feel any
longer spprehensions that may have
been aroused in 1871 lest the mighty