Page 13 - Lambert Wackers

"The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, which initially offered to provide the entire
capital for the Dutch-Indies Telegraph Company, reneged on its promise while the project's
initial preparations were already underway. Extensive legal actions could not turn around
the objectionable break of contract. The English judge who chaired the lawsuit was so
indignant about the horrible conduct that he concluded, "Gentlemen, this is common
cheating".
One can imagine how furious Lambert Wackers and Théodore Delprat must have been.

*Engineer Théodore Felix Albert Delprat (1851-1932) was for two decennia Head Engineer in
the Dutch East Indies. He was involved in constructing railroads and bridges in Java and
Sumatra. Later he became a well-known politician on the City Council of Amsterdam, where he
was Alderman (Wethouder) of Finances (1902-1910) and of Public Works (1910-1916).
Possessing an extensive collection of art and archeological objects from the East Indies, Delprat
was one of the benefactors and later co-director of the former Koloniaal Instituut in Amsterdam.
Wackers and Delprat may have met each other in Pandang at Fort de Kock, West Sumatra.

~~~

1909, 1910, Lambert runs again for public office.
In 1909 Lambert Wackers was again asked to run for office in the Amsterdam City Council.
He accepted the nomination. This time he ran as a Liberal.
Again, he did not get enough votes.

~~~

The war of 1914-1918

In 1914 the "Great War" (First World War) started and would ravage the rest of Europe.
The Netherlands managed, through active diplomacy, to stay out of the war and remain
neutral. "All we wish is to be left alone," the Dutch newspaper NRC wrote on August 1, 1914.
Neutrality was threatened by the Germans, who might plan to pass through the province of
Limburg to invade Belgium and France. After a few days of the war, the Germans and the British
indicated that they would respect the neutrality of the Netherlands, but only if this neutrality did
not benefit the enemy. Therefore, the Dutch constantly needed to compromise during the war to
avoid offending both parties.

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