HOLLAND DIVIDED.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 21 September 1915, Page 2

HOLLAND DIVIDED.

LOSE NATION TO SAVE THRONE TRUTH ABOUT BERNSTORFF. COURT GERMAN; PEOPLE HUMAN. Thi 9 usnailly well-informed San Francisco Argonaut publishes the following striking story in explanation of Bernstcrff',s mission in America, Complicated with it as the #cit ( of ' th.© Dutch Monarchy, which is under German influence, and stron'gly cppesed by the mass of th; 3 people, to cast Holland overboard to the Teutonic wcilves in order to save itself.

I There coin.eg to the Argonaut from | a source which it knows to b 3 sincere ! anr} believes to fcs authoritative a j special mission of Count von Bernstorff in this country was to promote a peace propaganda in the United State m. file outcome to be an effort on th e part of cur Government to bring the war to an end. The plan is described as a &-j,bt'. e device of high diplomacy. Von Bernrrcrff brought to assist him in the work a Dutch gentleman. on e Gheld Van Geldemeester. a, member of tin-, court party of HoTand, and son of the religious adrvser of Queen Wilheimina.. -The Netherlands court party is strongly proGerman, but the Government is neutral,, and the public is stro lgly i roAlly. fhc,'y ear th e rise of rep-iolican-ism a,nd so'cia/l'lam in Holla 13, a:-d would rather fac e German territorial aggression and even be forced to enter the German Empire as a State like Bavara than, to (lose their hold on this monarchy. Van Geldemeester, 'icugh. introduced here as a neutral. In roalit'y was an agent cf the German Govn-'ment working in co-operation | with Bernstorff.

The project was to get cur Govern--11 out to tone down its rejoinder in tfae of the Lr.sitania, promote delay, \na jivo President Wilson an opporuni'y to p.'ay th 3 role cf peace-maker. "I. is said that Bernsiorff had gone : o far as to suggest terms that would bo acceptable to Germany. She was wMiingr to restore all cf the Belgian, .'.; ch, a-ii(j ■ Pciish territory now occupied, and would at'k only sufficient ?DOm in Africa to care for her exKir.ding p-ru'nticn.

But there was a jok-r in the terms ■? Ui«. projected adjirit'-o.ut. T|a s concealed idea of Germany was to ask that peace be signed upon the terms supported by American delegates to Th G Hague, namely, that all private property on tne sea be exempted from seizure, capturer or detenftion. This rule wouild provide absolute freedom of the soa for belligerent as we'l as neutral vessels so long as they and their cargoes are of a private character. Such an agreement w;ould nullify Tic power of the British Navy in future tc establish a blockade of Germans'. At the same time!, it wou-d leave the German land forces hit i jr. Germany, the story goes on. was MOpared to assure the United If ires that if such terms could be arranged she would abandon her sin. T.-i i? welfare and give the Gover.r.n-.ut o; t! e United States credit for a victory upon that issue. Bryan was ij "vmpatlhy with this project, but the President did not consent to it. He refused to grant an audience to V';.n Goldemeester.

-Nov/ since Bryan, who was vorv much, enamored of the plan, has gotten out of the way, the deil'ls declared to be off. Yet it is to »o n-ted that nothing h as been done ii, direct conflict with it. The Pres 1 i-u'a Lu&itania rejoinder was expected, f* can-e iu terms mild to the des*ee o J conciliation; It is further to ! e noted that the submarine policy of has been modified in practice. j;„ mil " 7 be accidental but the fact' remark that during a period of two week* or more there has been no ro'patiuo-i of the methods marked by th. 3 destrnction of the Lusitania and the It is farther to be noted that ia i ; s abroad : ;ore f,n> President made a distinct, although tentative, safest en of mediation. There are thcs e at Washington V ho believe that th, e altered tone of ,ne American Administration, Sll novated in th e milder attitude of the s.v<nd Lusitania note, coupled with the modified submarine policy of s Germans, is a prelude to serious swestions for ending; the war. Further, that the movement has its ori (in in German policy and that the United States Government is in sympathy wJffe it. All this is round-about to the degree of vagueness. Yet th e ?uggesticns invdoved in it are neither "impassible noa- improbable. W e iresent the story for what ii may be worth and net without some faith in its sinc?iaty and in what we may the chance;? that it mfjy ultimately work out in an orjsn movement to bring the war to an en*.