HOLLAND ALSO.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

HOLLAND ALSO.

IK lIKI.CH M IS ANXKAKW. After sitting on the fence for ten months, llulj lias come info the war on our side, and there is a prospect that Ceruiany will presently liud herself at grips with the Dutch. ' The Amsterdam llaudcls'hlad, which i, certainly one of the most responsible newspapers published in Holland, bluntly declares thai if Germany declares her intention of annexing Jlclgiuin the Dutch must con sidcr such action as a casus belli, and must unsheathe the sword against the Kaiser. The article in which this Mate meiit appeared carefully examined Holland's position in the 'case of Belgium being either simply annexed by Ccruianv or oiilv incorporated into the Herman Klnpire hj, a " Federated Stale." In the first .case, says the paper, "our independence as a nation would be shattered, and in the second it would not be north much more than nothing." That is so true that llerr von Jagow, the Cierinan Foreign Secretary, stated before the war that "Ccrniany could not, profitably annex Belgium without annexing Holland als-o." So what is Holland to do? The llaiidclsblad is openly ill favor of an intermediate solution. " for the time being, as long as Ceruiany has not signiilied her formal intention of annexing Belgium -and the Herman Chancellor's silence on this score is signilifinil—Holland should simply watch e\pnts and keep her powder dry.. But if annexation were ever announced it would be a casus belli, for it would be a direct and formidable threat on our life "us a nation, and the „n!y way we could answer such a, threat would be b\ makiii" war, cost what it maw" Should this 1,,." |he case, Ihe 'Hand'elsblad frankly (ells the Kaiser that, lie will have -lilO.Olift men more lo light—100,01)0 nieti ready, and more than ready, for war.