Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-07

bopt that Europe Wouiu tntereIc W ss
protection Of tho feeble. The great Po~.
srs, divided BY Jealousy and rareor. could
nul srrec upon their action; and
sweds n Norway. that bad ALREADY adj
vaueed far toward defensive Teatf
With Denmark, found u saier 20
ptrace tteir steps. So tho issue could
moi lie doubtful. At The Peace o! Vienna.
In October, fs6k. Denmark was male ~ give
~ The three cuctits 81 SIcswick, Holsiein,
aud Lancnhurg. claimed BY Austria and
Prussia In virtue Of pretended hereditary
rights bs lot ging 10 the House OF AugiSteu-
burg. The iwo great powers hesan by
exercising kind Of condomi,,sim over the
., gicd territory; but year later The Con-
y,ntion OF Gastein. an uct condemned In
the s.ronxert terms by England and France,
divided the spoils, definitely selling
/ I,atcnhurg 10 Prussia, and giving her
| The so,e authority In iIolsfeio, while Sizes
wick was banded over 20 the tender
! msrcies Of Austria. The S'e~wiek-iIo'-
| stein trouble proved to be, a. Lord Pal
mel ston had prophssied, the match that
was to kindle European sonilarra'i0n.
| The Prusso. Austrian war OK 1866 grew d.
reoty out OF the contest about the duchies,
! and in the prclimnarie. Of Nlcolsburg,
confirmed shortly after by the peace vi
over the territory torn from the Danish
monarchy. Fer nearly twenty
years sleswiek ha. thus been subjected
to Prussisn rule. From the very FIRST
dsy eli The efforts Of the now au-
ihorities Governing the duehy have
tended 10 the goal OF crushing, in
timidating. and, II possible, sxterminating
the Danish language and Danish scnti-
mept. Nearly bal. Of the population is
or wa. nj The time OF the war speaking
Danish on the eastern eOlst the Danish
nonustioE extends from the north n be-
yond Alsen and Gundeved, the principal
battlefield In the war, while on The west
the limit lies somewhat more TO the north.
The vernaeular, which il Danish IT, the
core. and entirely different from the Low
German spoken south Of the dividing line,
nearly comedies with the political feelings
and sympa'hies. The Danes OF sleswiek
cling wlih characteristic toughness 10 their
language and 10 the old traditions OF
their race; they bate the Germans they
gioa, under tie foreign yoke OF suppress
sion. Resisting all temptations and all
mcnsces from Berlin. they still Turn their
regards aud their love toward the Danish
King and The Danish people, and they swear
TO hold out, even for generations. until the
glorious day comes, az IL is sure TO come 10
the flilness OF time. when the German
chains shall be broken and Dannebrog
shall again wave freely over their fields and
forests and ijnrds. They are q hard and
stubborn race. and they mean what
they say. IL would be a very triflins
slelifice for Prussia, that has made
such enormous gains and risen to
be The highest Power IN Europe, to give
those 200. 600 or 100000 Danish Slsswickers
back TO Denmark, The land OF their predi-
lection the loss could not even be felt, and
il would he amply repaid by the respect
Prussia would sbt,in by fulfilling an obi
CATION OF honor. aud by the cordial rela-
tons with Denmark. and all Scandinavia
following such an act. The northern part
OF Slswick is Of no Political or stragetlcal
importance TO Prussia, aud the proof OF
this il that the iorkfsatiOns in Al
sen and at the Duppel are being
levsllsd TO the ground. But gene
resity il no feature OF the Prus-
sian character; the HohshZollern maxim
has always been 10 take whenever they had
the power. and to keepas long a. they can.
Rather than give up these fen square miles.
W it'll their sturdy inhabitants, they are try
ing BY all means, fair or foul. 10 sNbjugste
these rtcaletrant subjects. and submitting
them TO regime OF metbodieal Gerpanizs-
ton. IL j. the same struggle az IN Alsace
and Lorraine. only still more hopeless; for
there at least there lies behind the Freu 4
traditions and sympstbies an indisputabiy
German origin and language, while the
Danish Sleswiekers have nothing in com
mon with their eonquerOrs and Oppressors.
1t would take too much OF time and
space 10 enter upon the various methods
adopted by The German authorities IN Sle,-
wick for extirpstfDg the Danish. The
names Of towns and villages have been
GernaniZed; railway guards nre not per-
mitted TO speak Danish: in the public
schools primers ond songs and plays are
TO be In German, and the children are
punished II they speak among themselves
their maternal language; history il arranged
so .. TO slorify Germany and disparsge
Denmark the Danish eOlOrs OF red and
white are absolutely prohibited: in short.
from the cradle 10 the grave the Danish
Sleswieker is submitted to q process OF
Graduating his original nature and dressing
him up in y garb which he hates ana de-
tests. This petty war is carried on day az
ter day under the sullen resistance and
open protests Of the Sleswlckers, and proves
o constant source OF hatred and anmo,i.y
between two nations destined by nature to
lie friends and allies. or late The prussi,n
iunctionarles in Seswick have entered
upon svstem OF positive persecution that
passes all bounds. Last summer several ex-
enrsions OF ladies' and girl, FROM the Danish
districts in Sleswick were arranged 10 differ /
snt places, one TO the west coast OF Jutand,
another 10 Copenhagen they came In flOcks
Of ECO or 800. were Hospitality entertained,
enjoyed the sights and the libertyto avow
their Danish sentiments, and then they re-
turned TO their bondage. Such Of them as
did not carefully hide the red and white
iavors Of diminutiye flags had TO pay amends
for their earelessstss. But the great bulk |
Of them could not he reached by the law.
for. in spite OF all, it has not yet ssen made |
a crime in Sicswiek TO travel beyond the
frontier. With characteristic ingenious |
ness the Prussian missionaries then !
hit upon new plan, and visited !
the sins OF the women and girls upon |
their husbands, fathers. or brothers. II !
these turned out to have. after the eessien, |
optated for Denmark, aud 10 he conse-
quently Danish citizens only sojourmng IN |
eleswick, they were peremptorlly shown |
the door and ordered to leave the duchy |
within foriy-eight hours or some few DAYS.
An eoict authorizes any police master to |
expel any foreign subject that may prove
troublesome" (ldStig.) and this term i =
very elastic one. IL the male relatives
were Prussian subjects no law could be
alleged against them, but among these
such as filed public charges, particularly
teachers and school-masters. have been
summary dismissed. In this way farm.
ers, small traders. artisans, dentists, school
teachers, &e., whose wives, or sisters, or
daughters did take part in the excursion
trips, have been meIcilessly driven away
and deprived OF their means Of living.
New eases OF such cxpusions are recorded
every day. A system Of the most petty
persecution is at the same time enforced
against those who cannot be turned out.
One single instance will suffice Tor indi-
eating its character. In the town OF
Aabenrsa young girl bad on her birthday
invited some OF her lady friends, and they
amused themselves i'm singing. in the pri-
vate parlor. some Danish soDgs-not az
aggressive chants against Germany, not
even political ia their character. but old
songs written perhaps fifty years ago. In.
happily, window was left open to the
street; a German peddler passing under
meath took umbrsse OF the Danish sounds,
and be got gendarme 10 enter the house
and make the singing cease. The
girls obeyed at once, but still they
were cited before the court, aud had 10
pay each AMI amend OF a crown. Il NAV
seem incredible that such things can hap
pen in our days under the sway OF q ma
that nfafands 70 Ia tho he.rae - 4