SWEDEN'S GERMAN QUEEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 6

SWEDEN'S GERMAN QUEEN

Mr. Frederick Grundy, the Stockholm, correspondent of the "Daily Express,'" wrote thus to his journal just before the, (publication of the revelations affectingSweden and the Argentine:— In its Queen this country is afflicted, with a counterpart of the ex-Queen of' Greece. A German princess by birth, s'lio seems to have grown more German by transplantation. Save for a few of its people, comparatively insignificant in numbers but fortunately strong in faith and patriotismSweden at the outbreak of the war was overwhelmingly pro-German. The centre of this worship of Prussianism was and is the Court, and the Queen is high-priestess. From Court and Queen tho baneful influence ppread throughout the country. The King is under it; but it is recognised that the Queen has the stronger character of the two, and that he is greatly 6wayed by her. The Guards and other crack regiments are centres of Prussianism, tho stamp of which is obvious on their officers. It ib the same with official Sweden —Dr. Branting, in his paper, the "Social Democrat, has openly accused tho Foreign Office and. police of complicity in /the German "bomb conspiracy"- recently brought to light in Christiania and Stockholm. German capital had established a strong hold on Swedish commerce, and even on the Swedish Parliament. In short, the country in 1911 found itself almost helplessly 'in tho German grip. It was not long before the people began to realiso what this meant. They wok# up to find that the country had been stripped bare to supply bermany Thecrv of tho masses to-day is that thev are starving, with food and supplies of all kinds short and at famine prices, all for the sake of Germany. Their first and bitterest resentment has been directed against tho Queen and the Court. On May Day this year th« Palace Guards were sent away from. Stockholm, and the palace was protected by a body of 500 picked officers—not a private soldier among them. Thanks to the moderates among the leaders of the people, a serious outbreak was avoided. Anil it was against tho Queen more than any other 6ijiglo individual that this demonstration'was made. One thing in particular had roused the resentment, even the hatred, of the people. Some time before this the Queen had .gone on one of her visits to Germany. With her she took 17 great rail; wav'goods ears laden -with provisions ©t all'kinds These were inspected by railway working men, and it was a verv (wort time before every working man and his family in the whole country were talking of tho Swedish food with which the Gorman Queen of Sweden was feeding her German relations. . "How dp the people feel about the Queen's visits to Germany?" I asfeert a well-known Swede, whose greatest a™ bl " (ion now is to see Sweden in tho rants o the Allies. "Well," he answered, L don't know whother they are the moie disgusted whon the Queen of Sweden goes to Germany or when the German princess j conies back: to Sweden."