Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-01-27
THE THREATENED WAR IN
GERMANY.
Interesting History of the Sehleswis'
HOIstein Question.


The latest news from Europe snnoun-
ce> thar the President Of tine German Fed
eTal l. q had notified the Danish Govern
lneni that il in three days Denmark does
not comply with the demands Of the Dr.
ct, the Federal troops will enter Holstein
Ia view of this threatening state of affairs
the following facts, written by German
and published in the London T1aes. viii
be read with interest:
Chariemagne declared Holstein . prov
ince of the German Empire (S03), his sue
cessors, the great Saxon Emperors, Henry
l.. Otto l.. and Otto H., conquered Schles
wig l93l-975.l The town of Schleswig De
came the seat of Saxon bishop. The
province itself, however having never
been formally incorporated, the Congress
OF Denmark inherited doubt of thous
and years standing Denmark got the
benefit, il any, of that doubt. Schleswig
was not considered 10 belong TO the Ger
man Confederation.
But the connection of Holstein and
Schleswig is older than the German Band
and has not been abrogated by the settle.
ment of 1915. By the Constitution grant
ed by Waldemar, Kingof Denmark, 1926,
distinct pledge was given 'that Schleswig
shall never be annexed to Denmark =
The Dukes OF Schieswig died oUtin 1875,
and the country was united 70 Holstein.
Erich, King of Denmark. tried, il ia true,
to disturb that union, and the Counts OF
Holstein lost Schleswig for twenty-three
years (14l2-l435l but the German Hansa
having come to the rescue, King Erich
lost not only Schleswig, but his three
crowns-Denmark, Sweden and Norway,
39)-Erich's nephew, Cristoph, Of Bs-
vsria, succeeded in Denmark. but died
without issue. The Danes offered the va
cant throne, first TO Adolphus VII, Duke
of Schleswig Holstein, who declined, and
then to Christian l, of OldenbUrg, who
ascended (l449. Adolphus the VIII hav-
ing died without issue, 1859, the Schles-
wig Holsteiners elected King Christian to
be their Duke. He declared in his letters
patent Of 1850, that the prelates, lords,
cities and inhabitants of Schleswig Hol-
stein having elected him by their own
free will and out of good will, to be their
sovereign, and having sworn their oath of
allegiance TO him, not as King of Den
mark, but as Duke of Schleswig Holstein,
the order of succession in those two ducll-
les shall "not be altered. and belong ex-
clusively 10 the male line" whereas in
Denmark, King Juan Otto (99l- l0l4l had
introduced the succession of females.
The ''capitulation" upon which Chris
tian l.. took the oath which he signed for
himself, his heirs and successors, is in fact
the "Magan Charta" OF the heSchles8is-H Hol.
steiners and their Bill Of Rights These
ono fba II -,
acted therein; Schleswig and Holstein
never to be separated; the citizens not to
do any military service out of their Tcoun-
try; no tax TO be imposed without the vote
of the Estates in Parliment assembled;
no currency TO be introduced which is not
received at Hamburg and Lubbock; citi-
zens exclusively to be appointed 10 pub
lie functions; no citizen TO be judged by
foreign tribunal-no Dane, no foreigner
10 be their judges; the sovereign promis-
es to make no war without the consent
OF parliment; parliment to meet every
year. Every successor shall confirm these
privileges by his oath; should he object
to take that oath, the SchlesWig- Holstein-
eTs are at liberty to elect any other male
descendant OF Christian to be their
duke.
Since 1860 Denmark has begun to try
to infringe those privileges; but the peo-
pie, who are the sons of the old Saxons,
and who claim the same forefathers as the
English, resisted and withstood all those
eneroachments.
The first Danish statesman who openly
took the line of proposing the incorpora-
tion of Schleswig was 0rla lehman, 1886.
His party became powerful after the death
of King Frederic VI Christian VIII was
led by that party to sign the letter patent
Of 1916 July s. declaring the Dmish tfe-
malel order of succession to be the rule
forthwith in the German Duchies. This
was resisted as breach of privilege. The
Stakeholder resigned. the Duke of August
enburg protested, the estates Joined in
the protest, and brought the question be
fore the German Diet, 'Hine iWif ro -
War broke out in 1913, and lasted. with a
short interruption after the truce of NAL
mo, until July lS49 After Olmutz Aus
triaundertook the settlement OF that long
pending quarrel and acted, in fact, as ar
bitter. The Austrian and Prussian pleni-
pOtentiaries were throughout these nego-
tiations with Denmark, the spokesman of
the Diet. Peace was made, an Austrian
army having occupied the Duchies. Aus
tria and Prussia promised to settle the
succession question according to thewish
es of Denmark, and acknowledge by q
European transaction the principle of the
integrity of the Danish monarchy, under
the condition that Denmark would fulfil
faithfully her engagement towards the
Duchies, respect their ancient privileges
never try 10 separate them, and never in
corporate Schleswig into Denmark proper.
The German powers kept their word;
the treaty was signed in 1852 Did the
Danes keep theirs? The Danish Minister
of Foreign Affairs, NJ Bluhme, who di-
rected in 1851 and 1852 all these nsgotia-
tions, has answered that question The
speech he made on the 18th of November
last in the Senate of Copenhagen shows
that the treaty of 1852 stands or falls, as
far as the English powers are concerned.
with the pledge given by N. Bluhme in
the name of Denmark that Sehleswig
would never be incorporated, never sepa-
rated from Holstein. But NJ Bluhme
shows, moreover, that even as far as the
non-German powers are concerned, prin-
ciples of the integrity of the Danish mon
dICIlF NOuiu lsiAl u the gEOuuu sAOuiO tic
Danes accept a Constitution which ex-
cludes Holstein and Lauenburg, because
the Danish monarchy, which the powers
who signed the treaty of 1852 wanted to
uphold, was composed of Denmark prop
er, Holstein, Schleswig and Lauenburg;
and not only of Denmark proper and
Schleswig.
The case stands simply thus: There Is a
treaty which everybody who signed il
wants to uphold; but that treaty will and
must remain dead letter, and cannot be
acted upon as long as the Danes will not
fulfill their par. of the compromise oi
1852, viz: withdraw the illegal proclama-
ton of March, 1868, and cancel the con-
stitution, which the present King has on
ly signed by compulsion and under the
threat of a revolution-a constitution
which would incorporate, de taet0, Sehles-
wig, and destroy forever the integrity ot
the Danish monarchy.
The Germans do not want TO make any
conquest; that is all sheer nonsense. Ii