The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-24
NORWAY CRITICIZED
FOR FAILING TO HOLD
UP SELF-RESPECT
Press and the Legislature Are Finding
Fault with the country's Attitude
After Latest Acts Perpetrat-
ed by Germany.

ohfistiania, Norway, July "a tcorre
spondencel The latest German act
against Norway are being criticized il
the press and condemned by the legis
lature as showing the alleged failure o
the Norwegian government to uphold
the self'respect of the nation.
Royal mail boats between Denmark
) and Norway, outside of the German
barred zone" with cargo of killed cattle
exclusively for use in Norway are cap
tured by German U.boats, brought Il
German ports and no satisfactory ex
PLANTATION or satisfaction given.
A Norwegian steamer, the Thorum, in
coast traffic, chartered by the Norwegian
government itself with cargo of hay tc
! relieve the fodder famine in the northern
part of the country was stopped by a
German U-boat inside the three mile
limit; that means in Norwegian waters
The Norwegian flag was lowered and
the German flag was run up, as the
German U-boat chief declared the steam.
er German prize because of lack of spe-
cial clearing papers. A Norwegian tor
, pedo boat arrived, the Norwegian cap
tain declared that as the steamer was
in Norwegian waters she was not liable
to be seized by German U-boats, ordered
the Norwegian flag flown again and the
German lowered After some argument,
however, he yielded to the German view
and allowed the steamer to be taken as
prize to German port and the Norwe
gian flag for the second time displaced
by the German.
This happened May l6 and, upon an
interpolation in the legislature regard
ing this affair, which has turned the
whole press and public opinion more
anti-German than ever, Minister of For
eign Affairs Ihlen answered that the
governments protest in Berlin and the
assurance of the steamer being gov
eminent chartered boat had only met
unwillingness to straighten out the af-
fair and give a satisfactory excuse On
the contrary there was no prospect of
the ship being released in the rear fu
ture, as the case would be tried before
prize coutr. More humiliating was the
announcement that the Norwegian crew
now would be brought before German
court martial because they, according to
orders from Norwegian naval officer
in Norwegian waters, had hoisted the |
Norwegian flag
For the first time since the war broke |
out friction with one of the belligerent |
nations has been discussed openly in
the legislature. In other cases the min
lister of foreign affairs has kept every
thing secret and been unwilling to let the
public know what steps the Norwegian
government has taken to protect the
rights of their citizens against the now
numberless Entertainments from the Ger
man side.
All the leading politicians, in very
strong terms, condemned this last hui
initiation from the German government.
The press requested that the Norwe-
gian crew at once be given their liberty
and sent home if the Thorum was not
released, asserting that the crew acted
according to Norwegian law and should
not be punished in Germany,
The only paper that tried to belittle
the affair was the Socialdemokraten,
which expressed the hope that Germany
will show justice to a small nation not
able and not willing to sustain its rights /,
by power"
nrIt fax. 40, kafnrn thto |
U-boats in the Arctic ocean, off the Nor
wegian coast and outside of the danger
zone" attacked small motor fishing
boats, fishing for the Germans and there !.
ore provided with German outfit, sank
'ome of them in the open sea with
mall chances for the crews to be saved, !
ind in others destroyed the motors and
on board, seized what they
leeded of provisions, instruments, and
ven money.
Nobody understands what benefit these
an be to the great warto destroy peo
lie working for the benefit of Germany
tself. The foreign minister has sent e
ONE messages and protests to Berlin
without obtaining a satisfactory expla- =
alton. And in these very fishing dis
riots German agents are buying all the "
'orwegian fish they can, according to y
he agreement with the government. Ger
ian boats sail safely inside the terri n
orial line guided by Norwegian pilots
18th their cargoes Of fish and provisions IL
,r Germany. y
At the same time from all over Nor
'ay come reports of arrests of alleged
erman spies who are sent across the
orwegian border. Norwegian citizens :"
re being convicted by the court in Ber II
IN as paid spies for the German govern 4
ent and sentenced to imprisonment for
1t more than six months, although it is y
-oved that their information TO the Ger "a
ans regarding the sailings of Norwe- =
an ships has caused these vessels to be
rpedoed and some of the crews to be
lied. In these cases the court acted
cording to law. The whole nation was >,
ruck aghast that this crime against the
untry should not be punished more
verely. The Germans involved were ar
quilted. re
OF the NOrwegians involved, two were do
plains on route steamers between
swcastle and Bergen, who had been
id to report TO the German espionage "a