Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-01-04


Since the termination OF the war be-
tween Denmark and the Great German
! Powers, the Scandinavian kingdom IN
I Northera EuroDe-Swedea, Norway n
Denmark-have commanded but slight
attention abroad. Only very recently q
radiea change in the Constitution Of
I Sweden has become a matter OF some in
terest as IL Is another proof Of the ire
pressible tandeney Of European institu-
tons toward greater freedom.
Hitherto Sweden has a a peculiar
Constitution, its Parliament being COM
posed OF four different Houses-the No
bles, the Clergy, the Burgesses, and the
Peasants. The vote of a majority that
is 10 say, OF threel OF these Houses was
required for the enactment Of any law
The Mobiles, a. in every country which
has a nobility, were instinctiYely op-
posed to liberal reforms. The Clergy
20 far resembled their brethren, in
most OF the other European countries,
as TO be, for the most part, the satel-
lites Of the Mobiles. The Burgesses
and the Peasants were decidedly liberal,
hat their l~iberaiity was u~navailing, as
every proposition adopted by them was
sure TO b rejected by the Mobiles and
Clergy. There has, therefore, been, for
many years a growing dissatisfaction
with the existing State Constitution ana
the Liberal party has been loud in de-
manding q change from four Houses
to two, so as to conform il with
the majority Of the Constitutions in
monarchial Europe. Although in this
modified Constitution the ATistooray
would have its privileged position as well
/ as In the present Constitution, the Reform
party felt confident that the obstacles
10 liberal progress would be less under
the new Constitution and the popular
will more likely 20 make itself felt.
The nobility seemed to be of the same
opinion, for, although the reformatory
measures provides for a House of Lords
under the new Constitution, they feared
a curtailment Of their power, and vio-
lently opposed the demanded reform. 1t
was wei known that the vote in the
House Of Mobiles would be decisive of the
! fate OF the measure, for no one doubted
that, as the Mobiles, so would the Clergy
vote The opposition ofa large portion
of tho Mobiles to the reform wasno secret,
and public opinion, therefore, became
greatly excited. 1t seems that the Mobiles
have at length not deemed it safe to defy
that nmistakable expression Of the popu-
lar will, for, after aprotraeteda AND veryani-
mated debate, they have adopted the re-
ADAhA - q AAJbA4As Va hAAGC AAuhAtN dAAO
sixty-one votes TO two hundred and
n~inety-four. The clergy, as was expect
ed, ar M abandoned their opposition,
and Immediately followed the example
OF the mobiles. The adopted measure
must, according to a provision of the
Swedish Constitution, be again ratified
in a succeeding Diet; but after this first
ratification, no n apprehends any fur
/ ther serious opposition.
There has been great rejoicing through
out Sweden and the sister Scandinavian
kingdoms at this success of the Liberal
party. There, as everywhere else in Eu-
rope, the power of a hereditary a~ristoc-
racy is on the wand, and the people with
renewed confidence rush onward toward
the era Of popular sovereignty and Demo-
cratic self government.
S- Gen. Augur, commanding the De-
partment of Washington, has ordered
Lieut.-COL. Eyre, in command at Alex
andria, to arrest all parties concerned in
the riots in that city on Christmas day,