Semi-weekly herald., 1914-03-30
RUSSIA is PREPARING
TO GRAB SCANDINAVIA

STOCKHOLM, March 27.-Is Rus
sia preparing to grab the Scandina-
Wan peninsula? This question is be-
ing thoroughly threshed out in the
campaign that is now on looking to
the election Of new Riksdag. A
good many facts have been brought
forward, which despite semi-official
depials from ST. Petersburg. tend to
support the belief prevalent through
out Sweden and to certain extent
in Norway, that there is real and i'm
minent danger Of Russian aggression,
and consequently ample justification
for an immediate and heavy increase
Of expenditure for the national de-
fense.
Here are some of the charges
against Russia that are made by the
Conservatives who are supporting
King Gustav's program for a length
ening without delay the term of COM
pulsory military service as well as
extensive appropriations for enlarg-
ing the navy and improving the land
Notifications. Finland, just across
the Gulf of Bothnia, is now being
permanently garrisoned by the Twen-
ty-second Russian army division--25,-
900 men. Two other divisions are
stationed just over the Finnish bord-
er, near st. Petersburg, from which
locality they could be drawn and
thrown into Sweden within ten days
by means of the new military rail-
ways which have recently been COM
pleted in Finland and which extend
right up to the Swedish frontier.
Army strategists assert that within
three weeks Russia could place 15O,-
900 men in the field against Sweden.
In the past three years Russia has
been secretly engaged in building ex-
tensive Notifications on the Finnish
west coast, and is now said to be vio-
lating the treaty of Paris Of 1856
whereby the Aland islands we're to
remain unfortified. For several
months past there has been an un-
usual increase in the number of Rus
sian tramps and peddlers throughout
Sweden, especially along the eastern
coast in the north. A number Of
these when arrested were found to be
in possession of military maps SINH
lar to those used by the Swedish gen.
eral staff. 1t was noted that others,
who professed to be merely wander
ing Russian peasants looking for
work, not only bore no signs of man.
ual labor on their hands but could
speak Swedish flucntly. In this con-
nection the espionage scandal of last
fall is recalled as the result of which
the then Russian minister and his
military attache were compelled to
leave the country. 1t was also open
ly charged that the former Princess
Maria Pavlovna, wife of Prince Will
helm, second son of King Gustav. was
a particularly active Russian spy
She, too, has fled, and the prince is
now suing for divorce.
The Swedish Conservatives are
making good use in their campaign
Of the words Of DR.. Fritjof Nansen,
the Arctic explorer, who in addressing
an anti-government mass meeting the
other day in Christiania attacked the
Radicals for preferring the promotion
Of all sorts of social reforms instead
Of increasing Norway's defense, and
said: IL fear that the day will soon
come when Norway and Sweden will
have to unite against common en-
emy for the defense of their neutra-
| lity and independence"
In the meantime Russia is doing all
she can to allay the Swedish suspic-
ions. Says the Novoye Vrenya, semi
official organ Of the st. Petersburg
government: "If the Swedes should
exercise a little more perspicacity
they would readily see that their po-
tential enemy is Germany, and that
it is from the Wilhelmstrasse that
their baseless suspicious of Russia's
Interior designs against its Scandi-
navian friend and neighbor have been
festered. In case of an armed col
lision between Russia and Germany
the latter power would at once en-
deavor to establish naval base at
some point on the Swedish coast;
consequently 1t behooves the Swedes
to be prepared for such an eventual
ity by rendering their coast defenses
as far as possible impregnable. This
is the precautionary task of the
swedes, instead of uselessly lavish
ing their treasure on their land from
tier defenses."