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Show HOLLAND S ATTITUDE CLOSELYJBSERVED Location Makes the Country Factor of Greatest Importance. WRITER GIVES VIEWS Prime Minister Reported to' Have Said That Stand Is j Not Understood. Special Cable to The Tribune. ! LONDON, Jan. 1. The attitude of no neutral country in Europe is watched more attentively by all the belligerent countries than that of Holland, whose geographical position makes it a factor of great importance. The following impressions of a neui tral newspaper writer who has just arrived ar-rived here after an extensive ,trip throughout the little kingdom axe therefore there-fore of great interest, the more so as he is the first to succeed in getting an interview with Cort Van Linden, the Dutch prime minister. " Holland," the primo minister said, "has from the beginning of the war adopted a policy of the strictest neutrality neu-trality and is today as determined as ever to maintain this attitude. Unfortunately Unfortu-nately our neutrality has not been fully understood, or rather it has never been understood at all in any of the belligerent bel-ligerent countries. Our neutrality is, indeed, very much different from that of certain other European countries, which, while they are neutral in a way, still have hopes and ambitions which they dream of realizing. Holland has only one ambition to be able to fulfill our duties toward all other countries in the fullest possible measure." "But what about smuggling?" the interviewer asked. Not Responsible. "I am well aware there are people in Holland who are smuggling contraband of war into Germany, but we are in no way responsible for their actions. You must remember that the frontier we have to guard is a very long one. It is carefully guarded, but smugglers'! always find ways to sneak their goods through. The traffic, however, is far from being as important as England and France believe. If the smugglers could make use of the largo steamers running up the l?hine the matter would be se- i rious, but as they are absolutely unable to do so their operations are limited to sending small parcels of slight importance im-portance across the frontier in various ways. In doing so they very often risk their lives, for the precautions we have taken are strict. "To Holland the principle of neutrality neu-trality is sacred. There is, however, also the principle of the freedom or commerce, and the Dutch people cannot give up their right to dispose of the products of their soil. Statistics recently recent-ly issued by the department of agriculture agri-culture show there ia very little difference differ-ence between what we export to Germany Ger-many and what we export to England." "The first impression which strike's one when arriving in the capital of Holland," the writer continued, "is that the city swarms with Germans, whom you meet everywhere. Spying is going on so openly that at first you are surprised the people do not protest against the methods of the uninvited guests. After a while, however, vou realize that the question of spying does not interest these people, who have only one thought to buy and sell. The Dutch are certainly merchants and one might even feel tempted to say that there runs smugglers' blood in their veins. Germans Are Feared. ' ' "The Dutch, besides, are in mortal fear of the Germans, for from the thousands of Belcian refugees thnv are sheltering they know what the Germans are capable of doing. The funniest part is that the Germans are no loss afraid of the Dutch and are exceedingly exceeding-ly careful not to rub them the wrong way so as to throw them into tho arms of the enteute: "No, most assuredly, the Germans are anything but popular in Holland. I have -traveled all over the country and have found that at least eight out of every hundred of Queen Wilhel-mina's Wilhel-mina's subjects are heart and soul with ! England and France. In every village vou may find posters advertising '.Toffre's Cigars,' with the portrait I of the French generalissimo on the cover of the box, while you look in vain for boxes bearing the images of the kaiser or Von Hindeuburg. "Here in England you often hear people express the opinion that the Dutch army officers, as well as soldiers, sol-diers, are admirers of the Germans. I ' have found that the soldiers, without ! exception, detest the Germans most I heartily. "The Dutch people, and especiallv i the working classes, make no attempt: whatever to conceal their hatred of the i Germans. I have spoken with street! car conductors, letter carriers and me- i chnnics of all kinds, and everywhere I i have found tho same opinion As for the farmers, who are selling their cheese at very high prices to whoever wants to buv it, I have failed to find one who had a good word to say for the Ger- : mans.'-' i |