The Portland daily press., 1886-11-03
a womAn's RULE.
A Regime OF Tyranny and Intrigue In
Denmark.


Copenhagen Letter Ia New York Tribune.
That the Danish peasants have at last
taken up arms against oppression Is not sur
prising; nor Is II at all unlikely that events
IN the near future win justify the prediction
OF general rising. 1t ceased to be a debat-
able question In Denmark thirteen years ago
whether or not a revolution must come, an
became mere matter Of how long 1t could
pe put on lt was then that the King refused
70 ulsInlss an unpopular Ministry at the all
put unanimous demand Of the Folkething, or
l, lower House, and started out 10 rule by roy
law. A'' P''''''0'
Things have been fastening on since from
pad 70 worse toward the end that has now
Degun. Tie successive steps OF taxation Dy
provisional law" In lieu OF the consent OF
Parliament, the attempted suppression Of
freedom OF speech and OF press, anu the ar
bitrary arrest Of the opposition leaders on
trumped up charges Of Insulting the crown,
have hurried the house OF GluckSDurg 20 Its
fall ReactiOnary methods were never less
In place in Denmark than I'm the face OF the
strong Liberal movement that has swept the
country in the last score OF years, and King
Christian has none Of the qualities that 90 TO
make an autocrat In the nineteenth century.
He Is an easy-gOing, Well-meaning but
somewhat stupid monarch, too far advanced
In age to relish brOilS or contention, and left
10 himself, would long since have pulled
rein had not stronger hand than hfs own
neld the whip That baud was his wife's,
the Queen Loulsa's, one Of the most remark
able women Of her day, whose taste for
political maneuvering and intrigue her leQt-
Innate held OF royal matchmaking In which
she has achieved phenomenal success, has
not been able to satisfy. II the old King
llves to see the end as he saw the beginning
OF his dynasty, he falls the victim of the
latest piece Of petticoat politics the history
OF European misrule has to show.
Close observers who have watched the
ambitious career Of the Danish Queen and
know how intensely the mothers passion for
ruling Is reflected In the character of the
brightest Of her daughters, the wife Of the
Russian Gar, have a shrewd suspicion that
the hands OF these two have moved the
diplomatic circles in the Old World capitals
IL has long been an open secret that the
Czarina Is often the real prompter OF Russian
moves on the political ehess-b0ard Of Europe,
and credit Is given her for a eonsummate
feminine tact that has more than once COPIED
successfully with the shrewdest statecraft.
Her influence was felt before she had been
fairly installed at court rs the bride Of the
Czarowitch.
1t was not long after that Prince Gortscha-
koff, when congratulated by foreign dlpl0-
mates on the successful issue Of some parti-
cular brilliant stroke Of policy, refused TO
accept the compliments for himself and
openly gave the credit 10 his imperial
guided. The Czarina brings to the task Of
ruling more than her pride and ambition.
With all the beauty and grace Of Alexandra
Of Wales added TO her mothers bright wit,
TO which her English sister Is a stranger, she
possesses the power Of Josephine In Napo-
Icons best days to charm all she draws
within the circle Of her personal influence
she fairly bewitched the old Kaiser at the
last meeting Of the Emperors, and even east
her spell, IL Is said, over the grim iron Chan
cellor 10 the extent Of extracting from him
personal promise Of friendship and peace.
And husband-lover, headstrOng, easily
managed with tact, and the autoerat OF an
he RusSlas and all the elements Of successful
wanting.
There Is stu a Danish prince to be
placed. Queen Louisa has been scanning
me political horizon for years for favora-
who was recently married TO a princess OF
Ih5 house Of Orleans. Since things have
been little shaky at home she has been
more concerned about providing for the
need Of friendly vassal In Bulgaria when
Alexander kicked over the traces. Walde-
mar IS promising young fellow, not unlike
MS brother George, OF Greece, and could be
depended on. With the Turk squeezed In
between Greek and a Bulgarian brother
n-law, both warranted not TO prove frac-
.lOus, the Gar could afford to LET events in
ne Balkan Peninsula take pretty much their
,wn course, sure they would come out right
n the end. IL would cause little surprise In
european courts TO find the name Of Prince
v aldemar shortly appear In the canvass for
he Bulgarian succession.
Perhaps the moral backing OF autOcratic
Russia In her moves In the larger game
loroad has had Its effect In tempting the roy
Il piotter to play bold hand at home. Sure
y II can be called nothing else to thwart de-
lDerately the expressed will OF the people IN
constitutional State with Parliament In
he popular branch, Of which the Govern
nent has for years had hardly half dozen
importers among more than hundred men,
lers. The issue has, all through the struggle,
hat has lasted now for thirteen years, been
'quarely made-cOnstitutiOnal government
lgainst aut0cratic rule. There never was
my other. Over and over again the Folke-
hing has decided by an all but unanimous
Iote that the Estrup Cabinet did not repre-
ent tne people and must gO,and as often has
he King responded with decree dissolvin9
ne folkething and directing the Cabinet 70 -
The opposition has returned each Time
sICSse6 81 sas5 .nan before only to be to be dismiss
governing by the consent Of the governed
long since became an empty form, and finally
the form also was abandoneda and absolutism
IN It's simplest form took the place OF rule.
4 . an warnings the old King has turned q
leaf ear. The scandal became so great that
ne Prince Of Wales, on his last visit with
MS wife to the Court at Copenhagen. found
{ lnexped1ent as heir TO a constitutional
'rown TO stay and by his presence seem TO
the farce his father-in-law was
making Of parliamentary government. He
departed suddenly and In a hurry, bat, ru-
nor had 1t at the time, not before he had
ound time to give King Christian some
wholesome advice by which he failed to pro-
IT, IL can not, therefore, be said that revolt
'omes upon the government unexpectedly.