The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-19

IL was about the middle 81 April that
Tn Lahle. the Premier. found himself
in a political impasss, His bills for the
reform Of the Parliament and the fran
chiss had been defeated in the Folke-
thing He faced the alternative of re-
signing or recommending 20 the King
a dissolution II the House He chosa
the latter cOurs, because he believed
no leader would undertake 20 form a
Ministry under the existing conditions.
and should a Ministry he formed Il could
not last more than a few months and
could realize no programme in the inter
val The recent FolkethinS consisted
Of twenty Socialists, twenty Radicals.
thtTty-ons Liberals. twenty-ssyen Re-
formlsts Coentre group, nineteen Right
lists tConssrvativesl and ons lndspen-
dent Thus while tho left or progress
ist- element included a great majority
II the chamber IL was 40 split up into
factions, each controlled by iTrecOn-
cilabls ohstinacy. hat legislation was
impossible
Zahle himself had only held ONCE for
six munths and his Ministry was the third
within year. The previous general cleo
tion took place In NAV, 1919. when Premier
\. J. Neergard appealed 90 the people for
mandate on the question II the national
delence There was a most extraordinary
cleavage n opinion among the members
81 the Folkething upon this subject The
Radical and Socialist groups demanded dis
armament pure and simple. the suppress
sion II the army and the Abandonment Of
all work ~ defence. Their argument WIS
that ncnmark. heing unable 10 organize
an absolutely effective defensive force.
might as well throw herseN on the Rener-
osity Of her neiRhhorS that Is to say.
in the last analysis. upon tho merry of
Germany. All tho other parliamentary
groups believed in living up 70 tho spirit
II the national treaties with the various
Powers II Europe, they favored the organ
ilation n defence system a. efficient
az the resources " tho country would
permit These groups, though having a
majority in the Folkething. could not
enforce their will In legislation hscausa
they werr hopelessly divided upon a de-
tail The ReforTnists. headed Nv ). e
Christensen. and the followers " Neerg7rd
split on the question whether or not the
Notifications II Copenhagen On the land
side should M RECONSTRUCTED and strength
cncd The breach could No, he healed
legislation was az a standstill. and Neer-
gard decided upon a dissolution.
The result 81 that election. a year ago
vas In no way decisive There was mora
or less shifting Of votes between the par
liamentAry groups. hut none q them
secured anything like an ascendency
Neergard found himself in control of
only forty-four votes out 81 tho iit that
make up The Folkething he attempt -
% form a coalition with Christensen hut
~ many 81 tho followers - each desert ed
that they stll found themselves IN a
minority Ncergart then resigned on
August !? and Count MISUNDERSTANDING
was called upon 20 form a Ministry
The Count allied himself with both Neer-
gard and Christensen. making the former
Minister 81 Finance and the latter Minister
~ Defence The admission Il Christensen
% the Cabinet az once stirred up popular
tumult on account u his supposed reHpon-
sibilty for the stupendous r A Alberti
frauds revealed In ls0s by which the
Government and the depositors q the
Zealand Peasants Savings Bank lost a
sim said 20 have amounted 70 S.OOO. an
Christensen was compelled 20 resign on
October Il. and four days later Holstein
himself was obliged 90 relinquish the
Government
he had used the fifty days Of his tenure
II ofice 20 good advantage On Sep
temhor - he had passed through the
Parliament hall embodying a scheme of
national defence. Il revised the system
~ military service 40 a. % place the army
on a peace footing 81 II 90 men thoroughly
equipped with a war efficiency o. 81 no
men this year. 90 he raised In 1000 In the
near future The theoretical war p0s.,i-
hility Il the country II about a. 90 men
The seward defenCes " Copenhagen
were 20 h. strengthened and the landward
defences we're 70 he allowed 20 remain
unchanged until 1872. but two great forts
nOminally clas-ed a. ga works were IN
cerstood o. he really effective additions
% the land works An appropriation Of
about Ss..5O.UJ0 was made for fortihca-
tons. torpedo boats and submarines. and
an increase II ss25 81 a wear in the mill
tay expenditure u the kingdom was pro-
vided for
After Count Holstein- Iecireborg came
Fable he was the leader ~ the Radical
group, aud his Is the first Radical Ministry
that Denmark has ever had He was
made Premier because nobody more con-
sentative or moderate could h. got 20 take
/ the post after the breakdown n the Hol.
stein coalition Zahle and his associates
came IN like lions. Gable dispatches 90
THE SuV In the latter part ~ las, October
told hoW they op-ned their career with a
. plan 10 abolish all titles and orders They
I refused 10 hc styled -evCellenCy- aud they
announced that they would not wear
court uniforms. They talked II imueach-
ing Christensen ant two other former
Ministers for rullusion la the AIberti
! frauds II was minated that they would
allow the defence law ~ become q dead
letter.
Naturally with the Folkething subdi
vided an these pruiects We're ahortive.
The only memhers who wRild work with
the Radicals were the Socialists they
not always; and with ~ votes in q total
I q iII Fable and his colleagues were lmpn-
tent The end came when hs introduced
I his legislative reform bills One ~
the-e aimed 40 IN" refOrnlupf the Lands
l thing or upper chnmher. which i made
up u sixiy-six members. twelve nom. %
l mated for lie bv the King and aftv- f,,,r