New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
A HoLLANDER's SENTIMENTS
Utterly Opposed to Turning His
Country Into Another Turkey.
q the Editor of The Tribune.

Sir Under tne Hcau, noIlhHu buying va"
Materials; Angry at British" | read in The
Tribune Of August 10:
privately, can say that despite occasional
denials the people Of Holland, and especially
the government Of the Netherlands, are warm
friends Of Germany and her allies. They are
absolutely sure that Germany will respect
Hollands neutrality under all circums tances,
and this assurance has materially added tc
the bond of friendship between the two ma
tons
Those are words of an attache Of the Ger
man Embassy, the representative OF the
Kaiser, mind you, who violated the neutrality
Of Belgium and Luxembourg, and who, II II had
not been for the heroic resistance offered by
the Belgians, would have violated Hollands
neutrality as well.
The Dutch, with a record of blameless naval
warfare without comparison in history, ana
the heirs and possessors Of q civilization that
n ay be reckoned to be one of the Oldest IN
the northwest part of Europe-Holland, the
cradle Of liberty and the home OF art, science
and literature for many century, that same
Holland the friend of the volators OF Bel
GUMS neutrality, the baby killers OF Scarbor-
oush and the murderers of defenceless women
On the Lusitania and elsewhere! Holland,
strongly connected with Belgium through lam
guage and tradition, the friend of the Kaiser,
Who regards a solemn treaty as scrap OF
paper!
It'makes me laugh and it proves to me that
Germany sees the beginning Of the end and
that in the hour Of need small country,
ave, even "der dumme Hollander," may be
coed enough to pull the chestnuts out Of the
fire for her.
Well so far for what German said, but
Count ]. A. z. van Rechteren Limburg IA
Cutchman Of noble birth and undoubtedly
With an academical education and noble feel
ings and all that, and the experience and
knowledge of a diplomacy is quoted as say
ing that "the people of Holland are impa-
tient, to say the least, at Great Britain's ar
bitrary methods in interfering with her le-
climate and neutral oversee commerce." ana
hat his government has been preparing to
take any steps necessary to maintain and en-
Iorce absolute neutrality. The count laid es-
pecia emphasis upon the word enforce" aud
added: HOLLAND will know what to do ard
when and how to do it,"
1t smells like German bluff, and it proves
clesrly that Count van Rechteren Limburg
knows as much about his own people and the
thoughts and sympathies of the Dutch as did
that German attache.
| don't know how far Great Britain is
doing wrong against Holland in interfering
with her legitimate and neutral oversee CON-
merce but know something else, and that is
First-That Holland never will go to war
on the side of Germany after the wrong done
to Belgium.
Second-That Holland has nothing to gain,
bat much to lose, in war against Great Brit
ain and the Allies, because in less than a
fortnight our oversee trade would be reduced
TO nothing and our colonies in the East
and West Indies would be taken from US By
tie japanese.
Tnird-That the independence of Holland
would be only a matter of q few days if Ger
many was able to crush the Allies, because
Germany needs her waterways. especially thel
mouths of the Rhine and the Scheldt, her
colonies and her strategical coastline, the
use of her seagoing population to man her
ships in a greater German navy and herI
soldiers to fight her future battles
And | know more that the Count van
Rechteren Limburg failed to notice, because
his noble birth and academical education have
blinded his eyes, and that is that many prom
inent men in Holland as well as officers in
the army and in the navy are anti-German,
end that the whole population in Holland, ex-
cept perhaps, the province OF Limburg, near
the German frontier, and some shipowners in
Rotterdam, are entirely against Germany and
German "kultur."
If Holland takes the part of Germany | and
many others will stand up and raise our
voices against the betrayal of peaceful ma
tior in the hands of mad Kaiser and his
mad followers And if that wouldn't help,
hundreds and thousands of Dutch soldiers
will stand up release and arm the $4,000
Belgian and English prisoners of war and
together they will send bullets, bombs and
shells where they ought to go-to the Ger
mans through the mouths Of cannon and the
rluzzes Of rifles.
No, no; | am not afraid. Holland is mott
going TO be a second Turkey j. KRUlJFF.
New York, Aug. 10, 1915.