Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-08-31
The Schleswis.Hols n;.

The schieswis. Holstein Di,pu,s
TINS controversy, although apparently ..
only corner OF Europe, and includin. .rsrons
portion OF territory, IN reality involves es, limited
conference sisang IN London finds it mos. III.
that we're settled by the ConRr.sa of ss those
in fact one Of the most curious, a. u. i0l4 Its,
Gated that has ever occurred in the S;'. compi.
plomacy. A brlef account Of the r. S::ory Of d.
dispute cannot but be interesting. 'S Of the
The claim set up by the German r,-.
to the Duchies Of aolsten and Scblesw;sso
founded on hereditary pretension, but nns Is not
princes constituting that Conederaev h none Of the
Prescriptve right nor any claim 81 1--we color Of
which it had been divested by prev;on territory Of
treaty arrangements, but sim ply to the wars and
privilege 70 unite by force to its Of
two Small States because they have h a0a
grater part settled and inhabited by Gsrr u IN tho
that one of these States has been and i asns and
OF their Confederaey. Holstein has sv, %s%oar
member o. the Bund, Schleswig never h:0 oeea
marx. -=. N"se 10 Den.
A large majority of the Inhabitants ,er
are Germans. About onehalf of the VI y, holstein
Of Schleswig (the Southern part) ara .naoltahs
the other half (Norrhern part) Danes 'mMsns' and
cple is sound that such portion Of tho Ius prn'
- choose to remain under the iurisdict;o," oans
German Confederation should be allowed =, =! TIE
including OF course, the whole of Holsto;~n uo 80.
such portion Of Schleswig as embraces. ,ho,' while
half should also be permitted to pursue tbs;. one
nations, BY continuing under the domin;on ~ ine'
mark This would be just principle If zen zen
ton: But such is the complicated cbarac,. oia'
dispute the question of boundary arises tn ne
the dipiomatists It is all important if Sc Pb1spe1
is to be divided that Denmark should ban" .ssslg
frontier She proposes the river Schie as ,Sa ss ~
ture boundary, but the Allies wish tn dr. .as ~ u'
line at Flensburg to tue porth of that river T mo
Germans would fam trace the line, from .,;,ns
considerations, 80 as to include the gulf Of M.s
name The whole territory in dispute doc. ' 10.
em1i.ce circuit OF more than twenty miles bnt
~'.n.h 'nat space IS included an important line If
frontier, and also principle. Denmark con.a0S VI
that if she is deprived of an intimate "tsnos
union with Schleswig, she will be without ,n &c
ssntial CONDITION of independence and national a.
velopment while if mere personal union y,
both Duchies remain, it would entail IN. i..a " "
Schieswle and her ultimate fall How far there n, "
De exaggeration in this it is or the future and NJ,
iof the present to pronounce Her ground of res;s.
lance Is the faith OF treaties entered into in 1880 With
the parties now represented In the London Confsr.
ence, by which her present territorial limit. Nov.
guaranteed to her. But she is wiling tn vs;,s
part Of her rights. She is disposed to ceds
portion Of the territory of Schleswig. but insists
WITH proRriety, on retaining line Of frontier thai
WIN give her security against future attempts to
further dlvest her of her territorial integrity.
from what we can perceive in recent English
papers OF the progress Of the negotiations the nu
Tai powers, ENGLAND, France and Russia, sre
inclined to allow Denmark tho boundary she des "A
l ND
the German Confederation are not disposed to weld
as much as will protect Denmark firm future az
erosion, although Austria is more disposed I
concede her just claims than Prussia, who appear
to have In view selfish and Interior objects. Sucl
is the position of this celebrated controversy. VIVA
is of universal interest is the influence which thi
question ID likely to exercise on the more genera
question OF war between the powers which hav
met in conference. In the present aspect of th
dispute there will be no general war should Der
mark concede to the demands, not merely of tn
German Confederation, backed by Austria an
Prussia, but whether she will not prefer th
hazards of 3 war single handed as Der journal
affirm she will, than to submission to such bar
terms as are attempted to be forced on her. If sh
should enter again on hostilities single handed,
will, in all probability, by . movement of gener
sympathy in her favor, lead to 4 general conf1ic
England seems disposed to an arrangement that wi
preclude general war, if possible without, in to
great degree, comprising the security Of Denmark
although she was party to the guarantee provide
by the treaty of 1852. France seems inclined to
| course Of non-committal, reserving her decisi,
voice for expression in some future aspect Of IT,
question.
The course Of this controversy furnishes pre-
nant commentary on the virtue of those arrang
ments by which the great Powers affect to regula
in national relations aud preserve the balance in,
olaie ofpower. Here is weak and comparatively
fenseless State pushed to the wall by other States b.
neighbors, and she can find no succor and suppo
from those who are implicitly pledged to come
her rescue This is precisely such case as
4 supposed to be provided for in that imsgina'
scheme called the Balance of Power. 1t W
thought essential. to its maintenance that we:
States should be protected against the sggressio
OF their more ambitions and powerful neighbol
1t leads to the conclusion that treaties and modl
cations of public law are made for the benefit of 4
strong and not the weak, of which this Schleswi
| Holstein dispute and the blockade of the Americ
coast by the Yankee fleets are striking exemp
| fcations.