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Show ; BOGUS FREEDOM. j If it be true that the Finns have peti-j peti-j tinned the kaiser to appoint his fifth j son, Prince Oscar, to rule and reign j over them, tho situation in central Eu-' Eu-' rope will become further complicated j and the Finns may be regarded as the allies of the war lord henceforth. Fin-j Fin-j land made a treaty with Germany the i other Jay. and are bound by the terms j of their agreement not to cede territory nor grant territorial rights to any for-; for-; eign power without having the consent of their new war lord. This would appear ap-pear to block any ambition Sweden might have in this direction. The Aland islands fortifications are to be removed ! in order taat the country may alwavs be j at the mercy of the Teutons, and nego-j nego-j tiations for a trade and shipping treatv i ate to begin imnteditftely. When ail j these things have been accomplished, i Finland wiil be tied up for some time to ! come. There is a possibility, of course, that the entente allies will insist upon i he abrigation of ail treaties made with tile central powers during the war. We ladieve it. quite probable that such action ac-tion will be taken as a measure of protection pro-tection in trade matters. But from now on to the end of the war Cermanv will do as she pioases with Finland, and un-j un-j grinding down process begins the people will not care, so great will be their joy over their deliverance from fLiissian misrule. '1 ho treaty ju,t signed will have no effect upon the outcome of the war. 'inland already has some soldiers iu the German army who were used on the eastern front again.-t the Kussians. Hereafter the services of these troops will be required at home in order to repel possible Bolshevik invasions aud to overcome the red guards resident iu tho country. Jt would not do for Finland Fin-land to use her troops in any other manner, man-ner, unless she is willing to go down with the central powers or incur that risk. We do not blame the people of Finland for desiring to break the Kus-sian Kus-sian chains. In fact, we are giad such chains have been broken. We indulge in the hope that Poiand will likewise be restored, not under German aud Austrian Aus-trian control, but as a free and independent inde-pendent nation, electing its own rulers and conducting its affairs without interference. in-terference. But this cannot be accomplished accom-plished until the war is ended. in the meantime Germany will continue con-tinue to set up ami pull down in that quarter of the world. There will be some sort ot a Polish country on the map, but it will be held in thrall, and its ruler will be a mere puppet of the 1 llohenzollerus and Ilapsburgs. This , cannot be avoided. Tho Poles, however, should not lose heart, for the day wdll come when their wrongs will be lighted aud their oppressors rendered powerless to do further harm, and tho same may he said as regards Kumania. So fat-as fat-as Ukrainia is concerned, the outlook is not so promising, unless she assumes her part of tlio national debt of Russia and declines to assist the kaiser in his effort to dominate the world. But as all central European affairs depend upon the outcome of the war, perhaps it is useless to speculate upon them just now. -Nevertheless, believing the entente allies and the United States are bound to win, no matter how long the contest is prolonged, wo aro quite certain that if Princo Oscar of Germany is made king of Finland, the crown- will be snatched from his presumptuous head, regardless of what the Finns think or say about the matter. There is talk of another IIohenzolle.ru roplacing the one now on the throne of Kumania, and if Austria is to name tho prospective king of Poland, tho German influence will becomo all-powerful for the time being. Napoleon tried to make himself master of Europe and freely bestowed crowns. Only one stuck, that obtained by Berna-dotto, Berna-dotto, who became king of Sweden and betrayed tho Corsican at the first opportunity. op-portunity. In justice to Bonaparte, however, how-ever, it should be said that he never trusted Bernadotte, and that while he gave his assent in a negative manner, he did not force Bernadotte upon the Swedes as crown princo. If " the field marshal had been a true follower of Napoleon, he could not have retained his crown. History ' will repeat itself in Europe. Wilhelm will fail as Napoleon failed, and Germany will have to endure en-dure what Europe endured after the fall of the empire. Wilhclm II will be fortunate for-tunate indeed if he retains his own crown when the day of retribution arrives ar-rives and the principles of democracy rule tho world. |
