The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-09

breathe less easily even than Hol.
land. Constant disputes are arising
relative to contraband, conditional
c%ontraband, imports and their final
consumer.
Is Between Two Fires.
The situation finds adequate express
sion in the words of a contributor to
the Gazette de Lausanne:
Germany and Austria have said to
Switzerland: we are perfectly will
ing to deliver you such raw materials
as you lack. But you must give us
in exchange not money but certain
products of which the allies blockade
depriyes us and which we need The
allies object to this. saying to Switzer-
land; From the beginning of the
war we have placed our ships and
our trains at your service, and, I'M.
like u enemies, we have never
thought of imposing com-pensations
in goods upon you. In the future, as
in the past, we are quite willing to
furnish you with raw materials as
well as with foodstuffs. Only, desir-
ing that ors blockade be effective, we
ask o to give you word not to pass
on in any form whatever to u enc.
mics that which we procure for you.
Switzerland replies to the allies:
I am grateful to you for supplying
me with foodstuffs and raw materials
without demanding compensation.
Masters of the ocean, you have been
able to do me this service, like good
neighbors. Germany and Austria, al
though b%lockaded by your fleets, have
also done what they could for me.
Driven by need, they asked me to
pay them in goods, while continuing
to pay you in specie; and have not
refused, being myself hard pressed
and neutral-that is, equally friendly
to all and unwillingly to increase diff
ficulties. In the meantime your fears
are g~roundless, for l have taken care
formally to forbid the expectation
from my territories of a whole series
of goods of urgent necessity. And
l am always on the watch for SNUG
glers.
Needs of Swiss Industry.
Ion the other hand, my industries
must live in spite of your war, on
account of which l, though perfectly
innocent, suffer more than you, per-
haps, believe. And in order that my
industries be not ruined they must
be permitted to re-oxport to all coun.
triao fhn ortHa1oe -ao-,f,Anal E.z--
raw materials furnished by no matter
what belligerent. l am neutral of my
own free will, but with you appro-
baton. That is why, although | have
obligations toward you land l do not
deny them), that you also have a few
toward me, of which the first and es-
sential is to let me live"
Here is the situation in a nutshell.
The result of pressure from both
sides, but principally from the side Of
the allies, has been to make the Swiss
conscious of their nationality and to
start a wave of patriotism. Negotia-
lions are going or to regulate the mat
tiers of difference between the little
mountain country and it's powerful
neighbors by establishing a Swiss con-
troll of all foreign trade with a view to
doing away with chances for cheating.
Fol the people will not listen to prop
ositions from either side offering
Compensation" after the war. They
want the difficulty done away with
now, Immediately.
Would Fight for Rights.
The Swiss are aware of their force.
The effect OF $1,000 sturdy, well.
equipped and trained soldiers thrown
into the balance today on either side
would be considerable-might be de-
cisive.
we have been much too humble"
men tell mi here. From now on we
shall cease to supplicate and begin to
demand, courteously but firmly"
Would you ight?"
Certainly, If forced to it. We re
fuse to starve or be driven bankrupt
England and France and Italy must
be brought to realize this fact OF
face the consequences"
But your personal sympathies, az
you have just told me, are with the
countries o mention"
That is true. But you must real
ize that before we are German, French
or Italian we are Swiss. We have
our own country to look after. In any
, but an extreme case an attempt by
, the German-speaking majority tt
force t&S ration into ws- against the
Z