New-York tribune., 1918-04-26
Official Holland
Pro-GerrnQn
Y 7HILE openly protesting it's neutral
w ity, the Dutch government, backed By
powerful interests, covertly favors

7HlLh openly protesting It's neutral
wv ity, the Dutch government, backed By
powerful interests, covertly favors
the kaiser's cause far as it can safely d.
in the face of the anti-German sentiments
of the middle class and the workers and
without inviting hostilites from the Allies.
IT the powers that be at The Hague had
their own way they would have joined the
Central Powers Such is the statement of
p'eter Corlisscn, Dutchman, passing
through New York Ell route to Asia Corlis-
sen is friend of the editor of DER
Kampf," of Amste rdam, who has been kid
mapped by German spies and dragged across
the German frontier.
"Ihe centre of the pro- German sentiment
in Holland" said Mr.. Corlssen, "is the
Prince Consort, Henry Of Mecklenburg who
has able assistant in his secretary. de
Bulow-Stolle. At the beginning of the war
Prince Henry was practically under arrest,
confined to the palace and forbidden to meet
German officials and intcrned German army
officers. But conditions have changed owing
to the influence exerted by the court on the
members of the Cabinet
Like practically all the officers of the
Dutch army, Colonel Pleyte, Minister of
War, was pro-Tcutonically inclined from the
outset The ministers of the Interior aud
Justice, Van der Linden and Ort, respective
ly. were and still are neutral to the casual
observer. But their acts tell a different
story. The 'Tijd,' an Amsterdam news
paper, was prosecuted for it's criticism of
Germany, while the publications on the pay
roll of Wilhelmstrasse remained unmolest-
ed, their rabid attacks on the Allies not
withstanding.
Prince Henry's Power
"Prince Henry's and the courts influence
tons. Amsterdam and Rotterdam were,
since more than five decades, German COM
mercial outposts. Rotterdam especially was
the unloading port for the heavy and profit
able Rhine traffic. The leading firms of
Mannheim, Cologne and Dusseldorf had
their permanent disponcnts or branch Of
fees at the two largest and most important
cities of the Netherlands. German banks
were established to attend to the financial
end of German economic penetration. They
forged ahead of the Dutch banks and be-
came the controlling factors Of the Stock
and Produce exchanges. Dutch commercial
and industrial firms were dependent on
German banks to large degree. Since the
outbreak of the present war coal can be had
only from Germany which thereby fast
ened her grip on the manufacturing and .
transporting interests. The bic trans
oceanic steamship companies had already
before the war to do the bidding of Ber-
lin, and expect to obtain the same old
favors after the restoration of peace. No
wonder that the upper classes are pro- Ger
man in words and acts if not at heart
The Plain People Are Anti German
at is different with the middle class in
the cities, the farmers and the working
people.
"The German banking firms were agencies
OF their home government, and allowed Ger
man middle class business men relatively
large credits, thereby contributing to the
hard pressure to which the Dutch competi-
tors were subjected, and often succumbed
"Although Germany was in need of fac
tory and mine hands and had to rely on the
immigration of Savs and Italians in this
respect. many skilled German workers Of
loyal disposition were sent to the centres
Of Dutch commerce and industry, and
formed the cadres of the German spy sys-
tenn, which started it's extensive and even
criminal propaganda Immediately after the
outbreak Of the They were assisted
in every wav by the Deutsche Hilfsvercine
German aid socicties) of Amsterdam and
Rotterdam and the Dcutsche Vereinc Ger
man sociaties) of Utrecht and The Hague.
which professod to be purely social organ
iauons but assumed the same functions as
the Hifsvereine. They were subsidized bv
the Berlin government Ike the Hilfsvereinc
who always had worked in harmon, with
the German consuls general