New-York tribune., 1918-02-10
Voyagers Deny
Dutch Will Join
Germany in War
Holland Will Go In With
Allies, if at All,
They Say

Published reports that Holland is on
the verge of declaring war against the
Allies were vigorously denied yestcr-
day by passengers arriving here from
Amsterdam aboard the Nieuw Amster-
dam, Of the Holland America Line,
alter voyage rcplcte with submarine
scares, spy dangers and every thrill
that war can afford.
Arthur NJ. Abell traveller, musician
and Tor many years Berlin correspond
ent of we'll known American musical
journal, declared that while there was
little possibility of Holland joining the
Central Powers, there was great prob
ability that she might be drawn into
the world struggle on the Allied side.
Mr.. Abel has been in Holland since
April, 1916, when he left Berlin "con-
vinccd that America would soon wage
war against the Hun" What he has
seen in Holland, he says, leads him to
believe that Holland can best serve the
interests of the Allies by remaining
neutral.
"Both German and Allied diplomacy
seem bent upon drawing Holland into
the war" he said at the Hotel McAlpin
country is tremendous, and as a result
there is division among the people,
and even the government itself IS di-
vidcd. Queen Wilhelmina is observing
Holland is this: # it jo joins s0Svitf" with the be-
Central Powers the British will seize
it's colonies; if it declares war on the
Allies side Germany will overrun the
country us it did Belgium. Hollands
little army of 100000 men, without
munitions, would be powcrlcss against
the Teuton hordes.
Holland More Useful as Neutral
"Holland can be of no possible SER
vice to the Allies as an active enemy of
Germany. Only by remaining neutral
can she keep the Hun out of her boun-
him would give him an opportunity to
overrun the country and acquire the
mouths of the Rhine and the Scheldt for
u-boat bases. Antwerp, now effectively
closed by Dutch neutrality, would be
open to the sea and Germany's subma-
rine warfare would receive a new lease
of life.
"Allicd diplomacy dealt the Allies a
tremendous blow when it succeeded in
getting Rumania into the war. Ger
many practically was out of oil while
she became a belligerent Germany
seized her oil fields, and these alone
have made the submarine campaign
possible. Similarly Germany now is
enjoying r plenitude of Rumanian
wheat. of which there was a bumper
crop last year. If Holland is drawn in
as Rumania was the result will be a
veritablc Allied disaster and the cause
of democracy will be set back for
months. If not for years"
Mr.. Abell declared that the great
mass of the Dutch people are strongly
pro-Ally. The rank and file of the
thy with the Allied cause that it is
highly possible that revolution would
| follow an alliance with Germany. The
chief supporters of such an alliance,
he said, were the army officers and the
military clique, who regard the German
arms with the highest admiration.
The Dutch press, he continued, stands
almost solidly behind the Allies, and
anti-Gcrranism of the Amsterdam
"Telegraaf" was so pronounced that
the government arrested it's editor and
activities were jeopardizing the neu-
traity of Holland. The Hooge Raad,
or Supreme Court Of Holland, Mr.. Abell
said had found the editor to be inno-
cent Of The charge preferred against
him and the "Telegraaf" was allowed
to resume publication.
Amsterdam Bitterly Anti Gcrman
"Amsterdam is almost as bitter in
its denunciations of the Germans as
is Paris" declared Mr.. Abell while
the people of Rotterdam and The
Hague are divided. There is no doubt,
however, that Holland will remain
neutral if she is allowed to; it is TO be
hoped that she will. Her entrance into
the war would be calamity, no mat
ter on which side she went in
"Holland is entirely dependent upon
Germany for coal. The country is
short of grain and fodder for cattle,
and if she does not get grain from the
United States she will be forced to
make concessions to Germany in order
! to obtain it.
"'rhere is plenty of meat at this time
because farmers are forced to kill cat
tie because Of the lack of fodder. When
the grazing fields are green, in NAV.
there will be a shortage of meat. Fresh
eggs sell in the cities for $12O dozen.
Coal is SIS ton.
There is general censure of the
United States action in holding up
seventy Dutch cargo ships and thus
withholding grain. The feeling is that
the United States should compromise
by sending grain to Holland under such
conditions as Washington may direct.
The Holanders, for the most part,
feel as though they are being badly
treated by America when they remam-
ber how the Netherlands ran the block
ade at Baltimore during the Revolu-
tionary War and took food to America" !"