Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-01-31
BY W. IL. NENISON
(Snecinl Mnr Cnrresnnndent.

PETROGRAD, Jan. 3O.-How do
the scandinavian Kingdoms stand in
this war? VIII Denmark attack Ger
many's Gibraltar-the Kiel canal?
With Italy, Rumania, Greece and
even Switzerland wavering on the
brink of indecision, ready for the
plunge into the European catacylsm,
| the favor Of Norway, sweden and
Denmark is being carefully cultivated
by both sides.
And neutrality, for this trio of ma
tions, is a difficult thing to maintain,
Denmark has Germany to fear; and
Sweden, Russia Norway is by com
mercc ccmcnted to England. And yet
all three are by language, customs
and derivatives, bound together.
At the outbreak Of the war Sweden,
on whose iron ore countries Russia
has frequently turned an enviOus gaze,
saw its only hope in affiliatiOn with
Germany This certainly did not
please Denmark, still ranking because
of the annexation of Schleswig Hol-
stein by Germany Sweden held off,
and now after six months of the war,
its people are still carefully guarding
their neutrality.
But tremendous pressure is being
brought to bear on the scandinavian
peoples and their entrance into the
war is not without range Of possibil
ity.
The recent meeting OF the three
kings, Haakon of Norway, Gustav Of
Sweden and Christian of Denmark, in
dicates that the three countries will
act together either as neutrals or as
participants
Turkey has been dragged into the
hp1 1t,,
by a farsighted diplomatic trick.
Should Germany be defeated and her
territory become the spOils for the
vlctors she can relieve herself OF
much of the burden of payment by
informing Russia that she has made
it possible for the latter to acquire
Constantinople, the goal of a dozen
czars. Thus, if we, as allies of Ger
many were likewise Vanquished, Rus
sa would acquire our northern iron
mines and reduce us to a state not
unlike Denmark found itself after
prussian siezure of its southern half.
As most of the money coming into
Norway Is from Great Britain in pay
ment for the immense lumber ship
ments, it is likely sufficient English
pressure would put this nation In
the war
Denmark is serious menace to
the Kiel canal" declared the head of
a ship line to me. Three islands, of
which Marbo is the largest, stand no
more than one hundred miles off
Kiel, which is in the lower section OF
Schleswig- Holstein.
Germany would need a million
men to hold Denmark, with the nat
ural strategic positions possessed by
the former nation. Where would the
million come from with two other
battle fronts to be kept up?
IF Norway and Sweden do not en-
ter the conflict Russian aid might be
furnished for the attack on Kiel.
But Denmark does not even have
to enter the war until "A decisive bat
tie has been fought, to win her share
of the spoils which surely would be
Schleswig- g-Iiolstein or the northern,
or Danish-spcaking half of II. Should
enough territory be awarded her to
include the Kiel canal Germany loses
her Gibraltar forever"
Throwing her lot with the allies.
Sweden, If victorious, couldn't hope
to gain the restoration of Finland,
but might win the thorough friend
ship of Russia and preserve the much
valued commercial relationship with
England
Although Britain has not by direct
means so far as | can discover, at
tempted to compel the. Scandinavian
powers to join the war it is true that
agents of both England and Germany
are working to create sentiment for
their respective causes In the three
kingdoms.
| have talked to many Swedes, and
among the thinkers find that it Is
their belief that the Scandinavian
nations cannot long remain out OF the
conflict Let the now neutral south
ern European nations plunge into the
melee and the Scandinavian countries
would probably also find reasons for
entering.
Stockholm seems to think, and
without pessimisuG that all Europe
must be embroiled before the conflict
ends. and that means Sweden, Nor