THE CLOSING OF THE SOUND.

Thames Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 10195, 18 January 1907, Page 2

THE CLOSING OF THE SOUND.

(To the Editor.)

Sjl*,—ln asking 1 for an instance of a country guaranteed by all tha grciit powers hairing' had its neutrality violated, 'Mr Hanse-n demands what dotr not exist, so. far as the first qu.ilificition is concerned. Thei nearest approach toi a. stale of this kind .s tha badly managed Congo Frea State, in which however only the Alrican powers a,re concerned. The neutrality oi' Belgium, is guaranteed by Great Bi'itain chiefly because, in Vac. hands of an enemy Belgium would make an excellent ba.se from which England co.uld be herself 1 attacked; and if we lost oui" eeai power the indopendonco of Belgium would go -with. it. The only powers really interested in maintaining] tbo integrity of Holland and Belgium arc Britain and France, and if theea dibaruiied safnoiontly to bo una.blo to. uphold it no other wound be likely to interfere to savei our email neighbours from' the. nia.w of thei Gurni?n Eifiirlo' As a 1 matter of fact, neuj trality, without the power to enforce ! it, is a delusion Napoleon violated the neutrality of every countiy in Europe^, and compelled their inhabitants to make war upon one another ; and although holding the Danes in tho utmost esteem, we. were forced to destroy their ships, so that they should not be used against ourselves by that great military leader. Rarely. in the"face of history, thei ciountryrnlen of Hamlet ought to be tho laist to aspect anything from arbitration, or conferred or voluntary neutrality. Regarding; Switzerland and its independence the le«.v said the. better for the Mends of disarmament. The Swiss maintain their freedom because every man in Switzerland h a. soldier. According to the) la,s.t iV'to of "Defence," of whiclil 'I would 1)0 glad to furnish any of your readers with a freo copy, the total military force of the little Republic totals- 443,000, men comprising the bast marksmen in Europe This is one reason why its neutrality has. not beeni "violated during recent time". Tha otiher is that uiiliko Denmark a.nd Iho adjoining small ininitiniiCi countries it offer's, no vantage point, to> furthler this ends of am'bitioiit. rulers. Between arbitration as we know it and international arbitration, there is no similarity except in name. Behind tho awaii'd on the N\Z. Court stands the policeman, a.nd behind him tho whole power of the nation. Behind an intorlnatioiial court there is no power whatever to> forte any individfual nation, dis^ernting 1 from, its ruling, to obey. The social State of Dcnmiark has no •■bearing on thh question ; but. I'noticed in a. report ol a deputation of ladiies, whow'adtedi upon the Minister for Laiboiu", that they were nsixi-oua to ha,ve Danish girls imported beaause ol their extreme clxeapnesiS', one lady ■'bsoo'ining quite enthusiastic aiboiut ai cih.arwoma.n who worked: all clay and part o|t" the niglh't foi' ten, pence. In conclusion, permit mie tb' say' thiatH asnlinl •cmitiret s.yni!p%itby with Mir" Haaisen's humane ideals, as ideaits^ but in view of the temporisingi of some nations and the positive refusal of our potent enemy Germ|ajinr._;toi redlucfe her axtaianientS', our own seourity demands that, like thie Swissi, we should 1 lb& pil'©patried to give unwelcome. visitoi-S a fitting reception.—l am, ©tto,

"-■'-.. R. T. CORKRIAiN. Jaamairy lfth, 1907.