A certain number of Raemaekers’ cartoons concern the politics and
the people of his own country in such a way that comment on them by
one who is not fully conversant with the situation in Holland is an
impertinence, but in this case the artist’s satire is patent to all.
The contempt of the Queen at this bald rendering of Germany’s many
veiled offers is fully apparent; every line of the figure is expressive
of disdain, and the figure in the background appeals without result.
It is that figure in the background which has most interest, however;
it is yet another expression of the truth that these cartoons have made
so vividly evident, that Germany will stop short of nothing to gain her
ends. This envoy is the German as we knew him before the war, deferent,
somewhat waiter-ish, and at the same time suggestive of the German
commercial traveller--the very worst kind of commercial traveller, for
whom the word “business” covers such underhand dealings as accompanied
the furtherance of German plans in all countries--a spy in disguise.
He says, in effect--“Yours is a very little country; in the day of our
world-dominance it will be well that you should have our protection.”
He wants the mouths of the Scheldt, and all that furtherance of German
naval plans which dominance over Holland would give, and he offers all
that Germany is prepared to offer to any ally or potential ally.
But the Queen has turned away.