, 1873-01-29

~ ~SA A~AAANA AAtNOAC I'll bl4C ia
pers assure us that if General Haffner has
chosen to retire, this resolution must not
be ascribed to the unwillingne8s of his
colleagues to adopt his proposals, and to
offer them their cordial assistance before
the Chambers. 1t is, they tell US with a
sort of official inspiration, circumstances
of a purely accidental and personal charac-
ter that have induced the Minister to
withdraw from a position in which he en-
joyed in the same high degree the public
confidence and the sympathy of his col
leagues. [ feel bound to state that this
explanation finds very few believers among
those conversant with the position of af-
fairs, 1t is perfectly true that for some
six or seven weeks the initiated have whis-
pered Of grave dis8entions between NJ.
Krieger, the Minister of Finance, and Gene
raj Hafner, and limited that scenes Of d
passionate character had happened in the
Cabinet Councils. To these rumours it
was always added that it was the high de-
mands for the future Army and Navy EST
mates, and the large sums asked for the
construction of new Notifications, that had
met with a decided opposition from the
44lIlISGCl vi IIdlICC3 anu UCCdSIOuCu JlG
heated strife between them. According
to Natures own law, there must be a
strong antagonism between the representa-
tive OF the military services and the chief
guard of the public treasure their life
must be a constant struggle, and the more
the two Ministers are at daggers drawn the
greater is the presumption that they are
both of them Jealous and conscientious
servants OF the State. That q War Minis
ter should in consequence Of such dissen-
siOns retain any grudge if his pecuuiarv
demands are finally granted, seems llghly
improbable, but the case becomes quite
different if he has been compelled to cut
them down so low that they no longer, in
his opinion, insure the full efficiency of the
service. In spite of semi-olicial assuran-
ces | suspect chat something Of this kind
has happened, and that it is the sums de-
manded for the fortiicatiOn Of Copenhagen
which have been refused to General Half
ner, or, at all events, reduced to a scale
which he could not accept.
Colonel Thomson, who has succeeded
him, has the advantage OF having been long
connected with the Ministry Of War, and
of being intimate with all pending ques-
tons Of organization and administration.
He was the right hand Of General RaasI0f
when this able Minister carried, in 1867,
the present Army Law, and all the propa-
rations for the revision have passed
through his hands. He is still a young
man, scarcely Is years old, and adds to
his military experience the advantages of
an University education. But, on the
other hand, he is q Parliamentarytiro, hav-
ing never sat in the Assembly, and it will
be no easy task for him to encounter the
various sorts of opposition that will league
themselves against him and his Bills. In
the Navy the nomination is decidedly IN
popular. The resolution Of the Folke-
thing, recommending the placing the two
Departments under one head, was not ia
vourably considered by the naval officers /;
but SO long as the Minister was, like &C.
nerals Raasl6ff and Haffner, only t%itularly
military, they had the consolation of re-
garding him as essentially civilian. Now,
for the first time, a real and practical land
officer, a colonel of the army, is put at
their head, and they resent it as an afront.
The new military Bills will probably be