Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-09-14
man campaign he will succeed Only Il
getting himself laughed at.
,ElxlNG THE BLAME.

For Job that presents difficulties
and demands measure OF tact ant
diplomacy such as seldom is called FOL
even in wartime exchanges, the task
of the Swedish commissioners in this
country to ask loosening of the EN-
barge rules stands alone.
The ENJOYS seeking re-opening o.
trade relations between Sweden ant
America arrived at Washington only g
day or two before the revelation BY
Secretary Lansing OF the intrigue ir
which the Swedish foreign Office is in
volved. They came, Of course, with
out knowledge of that plot, and witt
an offer to resume shipments of Swe
denis iron ore to America in return fol
concessions in the matter of grair
shipments from America to Sweden.
They have been sending iron ore tc
Germany, and their mines have beer
worked to abnormal capacity in order
to supply the kaiser's demand. AS q
result the Swedish crops have beer
neglected, and food riots in different
cities are only forerunners of serious
famine conditions, it is believed. I'm
less foodstuffs can be obtained from
other countries, preferably America.
These trade ambassadors undertook
a task of sufficient delicacy when they
engaged to explain to the United
States their country's course in divert
ing to Germany the iron ore shipments
which before the war had been coming
to this side of the Atlantic. Now they
must accept their share Of RESPONSE
bility for the plot in which their
foreign Office seems to be involved "ur
to its neck"
There are indications that President
Wilson will make these ambassadors
the victims in the present crisis, but
steadfastly refusing to release food
stuffs for export while pro-German in
terests continue in control of the
foreign Office at Stockholm. This
plan, if it can be presented in it's true
light to the Swedish public, will con
vince the people of the kingdom that
they are the victims, in truth, of their
own rulers and not of American petu.
lance.
The embargo law is based on the de-
sire of the United States to export
foodstuffs to neutral peoples when any
EXCESS cNlSI Us OFcI Iuc uCHduuo Va lul'
country and its allies and so long as
the neutral nations take no advantage
Of the opportunity to trans-ship Ameri-
can products or their equivalent to the
central empires.
But with the discovery Of Sweden's
double dealing the condition with re.
gard to that. country becomes compli-
Gated. However, there is nothing to
indicate that more than minority OF
the people of Sweden are friendly to
Germany in the war The pro-German
influence seems to emanate from the
queen, cousin of the German kaiser
It is she who has influenced the king
in his appointments, it is said, and II
is to her that the people of Sweden
must look for definite action which
will remove the pro-German officials
and put in their places men who viii
respect the laws governing neutrality
As in the case of Germany, the
United States government is careful
to make it known that its grievance
is not against the people of Sweden
but against those forces in the govern
ment which have permitted and en-
dorsed the violation Of neutrality laws
and the courtesy which, in theory al
least, exists between nations not al
war with each other.