The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1916. GERMAN PERFIDY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 10, 14 April 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1916. GERMAN PERFIDY.

The attempt made by German agents to'Cause trouble between Holland and Britain by the spreading of a story suggesting that the Allies liad decided to swoop down on the Netherlands appears to have utterly failed. *.ae humourless Hun Hollweg, in his recent speech, spoke of Germany's love for small States, but with Belgium's fate before their eyes, even the phlegmatic Hollanders must have been astounded at his impudence. It is fairly certain the Dutch have made up their minds to have nothing to do with their Hun neighbour, though, of course, the German element resident in Holland will make a great deal of noise and do as much mis-represent-ing as possible in the truly German fashion. A southern writer calls to mind, just by way of showing how the Germans regarded the small nations, even before the outbreak of the war, an official document, nothing less than a memorandum, drawn up in 1913. concerning the need for strengthening tbe German army, outlining in the first part the general policy to he followed, and 'U the second giving in great technical detail the precise measures to be adopted by each branch of the service. It is a paragraph from the first part that it interesting just now. "In the next European war," says' this memorandum, "it will be necessary that the small States shall be forced; to follow us or he subdued, in certain conditions their armies and their strong positions can be rapidly conquered or neutralised ; this would probably he the case with Belgium and Holland, so as to prevent our enemy in the west from gaining territory which they could use as a base of operations against our flunk. In the north we have nothing to fear from Denmark or Scandinavia, especially as in any event we shall provide concentration of a strong northern army, capable of replying to any menace from this direction. In the most unfavourable case. Denmark might he forced by England to abandon her neutrality ; hut by this time the decision would already have been readied both on land and on sen. Our northern army, the strength of which could he j largely increased by Dutch formations. I would'oppose a very active defence to

any offensive measures from this quarter." The moaning of this ought to be pretty plain to all men, and it ::. certain no State that stands in the way of German ambition will ever be safe ii Germany is loft powerful enough to violate its neutrality. Tilsit is what the world now recognises, and that is why England is fighting as the ally of Prance and Russia to-day. Such strytid falsehoods as German leaders are now putting forth, and chicfest of all, that Britain attacked h peace-loving Germany, indicate' what fiftile despair they must he in. Why does not the country they have deceived turn and rend them ?