Evening star., 1916-04-30
HOLLANDS POLITICAL SITUATION

AVAIL ~ 4 SAA 4 4 " Az
without a word of explanation. and
sistently maintained that II there was
not a treaty there was an entente.
Since the war tho commerce of Hol-
land with the central powers has
caused frequent difficulties. The Jour-
nails of Holland maintain that pro-
ducers and merchants have been
solicited daily to send all sorts OF mer-
chandise to Germany. Contraband or
war smuggling has assumed all man
ner Of DISCUSSES: Parcel post: all fetes
are celebrated as never before by gifts
in which are concealed contraband;
| leather for shoes and equipment: rubber
concealed in every way in the ceiling OF
packet boats: thousands OF pounds OF
copper arc sent in locomotive boilers: also
thousands of tons Of grain; all oils
! are disguised either by solidincation
or by fraudulency. adding substances
which may enter without duty, etc.
aa
Contraband has become such a busi-
ness that ii has surpassed all indus
| tries. Shops have been
| Contraband deserted, and in the ad-
p. joining neutral states
men, women. children,
all have been Seized with one passion
fraud. Employees were on edge;
some closed their eyes to the traffic:
, soldiers even acted as accomplices. 1t
! became. finally a veritable hunt for
| their eyes. 1t was even proposed to
| establish a tax on the proceeds of war
profits" which were estimated as hav-
ing reached during the first eleven
months of the hostilities $500. 900, 900.
journal at Amsterdam. the Tele-
graaf. which has been remarked be-
| cause of it's sympathies for the allies,
distinguished itself by a campaign
against the smugglers. Several times
| the latter brought suit against the
journal for violation OF neutrality. De-
nounced frequently, NJ. Schroeder was
| finally attacked in the second chamber
| by members of the left and right
Defended by NJ. Beaufort, former min
| lister of foreign affairs, the latter OBJ
! served that no judge would be found
| in Holland to condemn a journalist on
| an accusation of violation of neutral
! ity in a country where liberty of the
press existed. Nevertheless, several
days later NJ. Schroeder (the editor-in-
chief was arrested and incarcerated.
The liberty of the press is cherished
greatly in Holland and the arrest Of
| NJ. Schroeder and his condemnation
"A
| emotion. Twenty six professors of the
university published collective prot
estation added to- writer's, artists and
members OF the press itself. The gov
ernment, after seventeen days of
| storm, decided to release the prisoner
| whom the tribunals had acquitted. I'm
| fortunately the minister of justice re-
| plying to question addressed han by
deputy, was obliged to avow that he
4 the minister) had ordered the process
and the arrest. The eject was de-
plorable.
1T is an i'll wind that blows nobody
good is an ancient adage The affair
! caused attention to be called to the
legislation and powers of Imprisonment
| for such offenses. Also it directed at
tention to the tolerance accorded to
one side and the severity reser,e ed for
! others. The Torkomst which defends
| the German interests and the fiamin-
grists, may be cited as an example.
Recently demands for naturalization of
a great number Of Germans tacceptsd.
1t appears without regard to the rulesl
provoked INJURY in the second cham
ber AS result a patriotic club was
| reasons:
We believe that the Netherland ma
tion has the right to live and it be-
hooves our generation to maintain our
people truly Independent and not TO
bind itself even economically to a
powerful neighbor."
/ H.
nouncement of principles. il nothing
more, and the grouping under the same
/ banner of men from different camps
shows the awakening with many of
patriotic sentiment which excessive
pacifism and prejudiced neutrality tends
| naturally to weaken.
I; Holland is not the only country of the
neutrals containing pacifists and a pa-
triotic club may be necessary for each
of the neutral states. 1t was in Amstor-
4 ne lAA A.
| manifested their principles by exposing
for sale in shops buttons on which wa s
printed conspicuously do not speak to
| me of the war;. There were many,who
proudly hoisted that imbecile, treepass
upon public opinion deeniing them
selves thus placed above the beIfixer-
ents, when, indeed, they ranged them
| selves as little less than outside of
humanity. The inspiration of the but
ton and its device emanated from a
sordd spirit of gain on the part of
button vendor. There are many-hued
pacfhsts among these, for example
those of the Ford excursion How
| many of that party sincerely believed
that their Intervention could possibiy
| advance pacifism?
writer OF authority, treating of the
future of neutral countries. declares
| that Holland is menaced
| Economic economically in the future
n even more than Belgium"
oee' And he proceeds to show
that since several years the commercial
statistics of the port of Rotterdam show
marked increase and have almost
caught up with those of Hamburg. Now
the prosperity of the port of Rotterdam
is for the greater part of German ori-
gin; the port receives annually $3.50
vessels from the sea and 100. 900 river
boats, The Rhine makes the wealth
of Rotterdam. and the merchandise
which arrives by the Rhine comes from
Germany, and principally from West
phalia. Germans Go not forgive the
Dutch for beating them with German
arms by forging ahead of Hamburg in
this International rivalry.
1t is not only a question of prestige
Holland has opposed for some years in
the name Of the treaties. the applica-
ton to the Rhenian traffic of the taxes on
fuvial navigation voted by the reichstae
AS it was not possible to collect these
| taxes. the opposition Of the Holland gov
ernment caused that grand agrarian plan
to fail The Germans have regarded that
situation as a foreign interference on
their territory, and the "Pangermanist
League" has uttered against Holland re-
doubtable threats. Germany for a fact
has made no secret of her intention to
turn the Rhine into the Ems. This prof.
ect. If it should be realized and it's cost
I