Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-04

This announcement by the
Inc new premier of Denmark from
- Monarch. the balcony OF the palace at
Copenhagen to the $4,000
people In the streets was followed by
speech from the new ruler:
"Our old king, my well-beloved father.
has just closed his eyes. He sleeps now in
peace. his last sleep. having accomplished
his duty as king until the last moment.
1 accept with confidence the heavy heritage
of his succession. and sincerely pray
that God will give me strength TO
follow In the footsteps of my well-be-
loved father, and to govern the country as
he has done. hope to have the good for
tune to work with the people and their rep
resentatives. with a view to obtain their
happiness and the prosperity of our we'll
| beloved country. Let me cry with you,
Long live our countryp"
The proclamation announcing the Access
sion to the throne was then read. signed
Frederik Rex.
The crown of Denmark was elective from
the earliest times. In 144S after the death
of the last male scion of the princely house
of Svend Estridsen, the Danish diet elected
to the throne of Denmark Christian I.
Count OF Oldenburg In whose family the
royal dignity remained for more than four
centuries. although the crown was not rem
dered hereditary by right till the year $780,
The direct male line of the house of Olden-
burg became extinct with the sixteenth
king. Frederik VII, on November 10. 1868
In view Of the death of the king without
direct heirs the great powers OF Europe,
taking into consideration that the main
tenance of the integrity of the Danish mon
archy as connected with the general inter-
ests of the balance of power In Europe is
of high Importance to the preservation of
peace" signed treaty at London May 8,
1882 by the terms OF which the succession
to the crown of Denmark was made over
to Prince Christian Of Schleswig- Holstein-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and to the direct
male descendants of his name with the
Princess Louise OF Hesse-Cassell, niece OF
King Christian VII, of Denmark. In ac-
cordance with the treaty a law concerning
the succession of the Danish crown was
adopted by the diet and obtained the royal
sanction July 81. 1853.
Il
The relations with the United States and
Denmark date from December q. 1779
when Franklin wrote NJ
An Early Bernstorff. minister for for
Dfsr,,t. eign affairs at Copenhagen.
demonstrating against the
seizure Of American prizes within the ter
rftorfal Jurisdiction OF the King OF Den
mark. A note occurs in The Treaties and
SOhNChtioAS DttWcSu Tic oHtkc4 0SdttS dnu
the Powers in which the Danish minister
of foreign affairs. writing to one Of his
countrynen. said: "As know you are on
the point of making tour to France
cannot omit recommending to you to en-
deavor, during your stay at Paris. to gain
as much as possible the confidence and es-
TEEN of Mr.. Franklin. . You have
witnessed the satisfaction with which we
ho1- laar ba oil of fhta Uar
for the United States of America and how
fully we are persuaded that 1t will be for
the general interests of the two states to
form. as soon as possible. reciprocal con-
neetions of friendship and commerce. Moth
ing certainly would be more agreeable to
us than to learn by your letters that you
find the same disposition in Mr.. Franklin
De Walterstorf went to Paris. where he
assured Franklin of the kings desire to
have treaty with the United States, but
it was not until 1895 that commercial
convention was concluded and this was
transmitted by President Adams to the sec
ond session of the Nineteenth Congress.
The allegations on which the seizure and
condemnation Of American vessels and their
caFgoes Were made, and attempted to be
justified were principally: /. The posses
sion of false and simulated papers by which
il was alleged an American; character was
stamped on British property. 2 Sailing
under British convoy, whereby, 1t was al
legged, our vessels lost the immunities OF
our flag and subjected themselves to be
treated as British property 3. The posses
sion of French consular certfhcateS of origin
after the French consul3 were forbidden to
give them, except TO vessels sailing direct
to French ports.
The reclamations were first made on the
ed of June, 1911. to the Danish minister
of foreign affairs, in which 1t was said:
'.,rhe total amount of captures in 1909 and
1910 was $50. Danish courts continued to
exercise the Objectionable Jurisdiction and
to make condemnation. To the complaints
OF the United States against the long delay
in answering response was made that GER
tain Danish claims on the United States
had remained unsettled since 1893. The
extreme poverty of the Danish government
was also put forward AT length. on the
Goth of June. 1878. the Danish minister
of state replied that the King of Denmark
could not admit that causes definately ter
minated by competent tribunals can be
made a subject of litigation. The nego-
tiations which were carried on successfully
by Ewing, Forbes Campbell and Hughes,
without result, were taken up by Wheaton
in 1898 under instructions from Clay, Sec
rotary OF State, and were brought to
successful issue in March 1890 The Dan
ish objection to the claims was thus stated
in a note to Hughes August IL, 1929: THE
sentences by which vessels bearing the flag
of the United States have been released
or condemned by the prize tribunals. or
high court of admiralty, are without APP
peal, and cannot, without derogating from
that which has ben eStaDIShed from
the remotest times in the Danish mon
archy, DC altered or annulled.'
In paper of marked ability Whea ton
controverted the foregoing and said 1.-THE
institution of these tribunals,
Wheaton's so far from eXempting or be-
r.,+,4;ox, ing intended to exempt the
sovereign of the beliigerent
nation from responsibility. is designed to
fix and ascertain that responsibility. Those
cruisers responsible only to the sover-
eign whose commission they bear. So long
as seizures are regularly made upon APP
parent grounds of just suspicion and fol-
lowed by prompt adjudication In the usual
mode, and until acts of the eaptors are
confirmed by the sovereign in the sentences
of the tribunal appointed by him to adj
judicate in matters of prize. the neutral
has no ground of complaint and what he
suffers is the inevitable consequence of the
belligerent right of capture. But the mo-
ment the decision of the tribunal of last
resort has been pronounced against the