The Washington herald., 1919-08-03

,he late George Howard's connection
with the Duke of Norfolk Is, I am
not sure, but there is a close connec-
ton. The Duke is Henry FitzAlan
Howard Our Howards are also some
connection OF Great Britain's new Am
bassador at Madrid, in succession to
Sir Arthur Hardinge. He is Sir Esme
Howard, who spent several years in
America as counselor of the Embassy
and as charge d 'affaires. and who left
many friends on this side Of the At
lantic.
But to save me I can't tell you just
what the connection is.
Sir Esme's promotion has come to
him as a reward for the excellent
work which he has done during the
Peace Conference, especially in con-
nection with the settlement OF the
very intricte complexities relating to
the restoration of the Independence Of
Poland.
During the greater portion Of the
war Sir Esme was British envoy In
Sweden, where the situation was a
very difficult one. owing to the pro-
nounced German sympathies of the
king and queen, Of the aristocracy,
of the higher officers of the army.
and of the ministers OF the crown.
Sweden's neutrality, indeed, was char
acterized by the utmost unfriendli-
ness toward England. France and the
United States. The entente mails and
postal parcel service between Paris,
London and Petrograd were frequent
ly held up for weeks together by the
Swedish authorities on their passage
through the dominions of King Gus
tav.
SWEDEN PROLONGED WAR
BY SUPPLYING GERMANY.
The diplomatic pouches OF the
Swedish government at Stockholm
and OF its ENJOYS in foreign lands
were repeatedly used by the Ger
mans for the conveyance of mill
tary and naval notes, directions in
connection with the promotion of
the destruction of entente life and
property. as. for instance, in the
case of Count Luxburge. the German
envoy to Buenos Aires, of "spurlos
versenvt" infamy. and Fl. Won Eek
hardt, the unsavory Teuton pleni-
potentiary in Mexico.
Moreover. Sweden may be said to
have prolonged the war by supply
ing Germany with goods which she
had been allowed to import from
abroad on the promise that the
freight should be restricted entirely
to domestic use, the severity of the
entente blockade of Germany being
thereby interfered with and rem
dered to a great extent nugatory.
Then. too, the Swedish govern
ment permitted Stockholm to be
used throughout the war as a CEN
ter of German espionage and of
anti-entente propaganda and like
wise accorded all sorts Of facilities
to the Bolshevist leaders and agents
at Stockholm.
1t was up to Sir Esme Howard 20
keep track of all these foes of the
entente at Stockholm and to en-
deavor to keep the Swedish court
and government within sufficient
bounds to prevent the complete rup-
ture of official relations between
Sweden and the entente. 1t is only
fair to say that he was encourag ged
in this arduous task by the knowl-
edge that the masses of the Swed-
ish people-in fact, all the liberal
element of the population-were
opposed to the central powers and
leaned toward the entente. 1t was
they. indeed, who prevented the
! king, the German queen and the
Stockholm government from COM
mittinE the Swedish nation to an
offensive and defensive alliance
with the central powers in the
great war.
Sir Esme Howard is the fourth
son of Henry Howard. OF Thorn
bury castle. Gloucestershire. and Of
Greystoke castle. in Cumberla Dd.
and a grandson OF that Lord Henry
! CONTINUED on PAGE Elk.