Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-03-06
The Red Laughtsr" In Seandinaxl4
BY c. S. srRANDvoLp

all kinds of censorship which Hre
made necessary during the q fis
stem. II is declared, was taken becase
the government realized the .hopeifs.
ness of fighting the onrushing q.
= less far-reaching steps had ben
tried before on the presumpti4 that
what might not be prevents oy
means of violence, might be 4pped
by an appeal to the sstomachAso It
was decided only q few weel ago
to nav an amount corresponds to
eight dollars a week to every penn
ployed man and woman IN tnefoun-
try. Altogether, about cigntee mil.
lion dollars have been appreciated
|by the Rigsdag for this purpos9Ihis
purnose Of checking the spreA of
that foreign Radicalism which tleat-
ened to convert the eentler andhore
nea ceful Danish Radicalism intoheer
Apparently. the government dtnot
20 far enough. Copenhagen r4rts
seem to indicate that the profred
hand of Cancellation was not a4pt-
ed, the government resources exhlst-
ed the government simply toldthe
king that it wanted to quit. ItIuit.
The immediate reason for the reana-
tion was the refusal of the tpeF
house (the Landsting) to apprf q
new loan of twenty-eight millionol
lars unless the cabinet would tree
to emove all war restrictions ofhe
prices of commodities. The gown
ment categorically rejected the ps-
sibility of such a compromise onhe
ground that it would give rise tdhe
.,,s1loe< rofitoorinO o. q Cn.rqlINn MI.
mum price above which no n cid
20, has been in effect in the DaBh
business world all during the war, I'D
it is said that it has proved a nst
effective weapon against all kindpf
speculation. The maximum pfe
system is one of the features with
the cabinet refused to withdraw.
Criticism of Cabinet. A
The opposition Conservatives re
charging the Zahle cabinet with NJ
reasonable extravaganza in thattit
took the initiative in having eighth
million dollars appropriated for s.
tribution among the unemployed.ho
this the cabinet has retorted that the
was nothing else to do, and that lit
had not been done, the country W0d
have faced instant revolution. le
tension was there. and it needed 1t
unimportant actions to bring aboua
most serious crisis. Zahle and S
supporters evidently adopted the pot
Of view that even though it mig
cost some millions, it was worth t.
money to save the country from rev
luton. Whether this has been accom-
plished, cannot now be said. Detail
calculating the exact situation al
lacking in this country. but it dol
seem clear that if the opposition !;
this time takes over the government
the result may be extremely dar
gerous.
The Zahle cabinet has at all time
been in accord with the sanely pro
gressive ideas Of the age and in spit
the whole, been able to maintain
constantly consistent policy even t
the point of surrendering som
strongly anti-defense theories former
ly cherished by it's adherents. 1t ha
succeeded in steering a middle cours
between Conservatism and Raditalisn
and has been credited by close foreigl
observers with being altogether th'
most level-headed war government, o,
neutral Europe.
Dark Clouds Gathering.
Considering the present situatPn
the immediate future does not lpli
encouraging, for it will. in all 'proh-
bility. be entrusted to a Conservatism
tinged with actually reactionary tf-
cries in opposition to a Radicalin
would be called Conservatism in 4c
United States. What the cabinet MY
resigned could not accomplish in th
way of pacifying the unruly element,
the opposition will hardly be able D
accomplish. There is no ~extensi{
popular confidence in the ability /
the Conservatives and the Modera1
Left to manage the country throug
the reconstruction period.
And, meanwhile. the clouds a,
gathering thicker and thicker to tt
south and east of Denmark. No cour
try is SO mcnacingly near to the fiert
Red Laughter as is that small natio'
Sweden and Norway r looking
the situation with much anxiety. rea
Hing that il the l:!aZe bursts out
denmark, it will be But a question
time before it envelops the entil
north.
1t is not Socialism that Scandinav
Reconsideration in it's Scandinavia
form is as distinct from extremism
is night from day: 1t has been put
la test. sanely and sensibly. and eve
though it vas quite sweeping in i
original principles, it has been mod
fled and has been skillful enough
adapt itself to changing conditions
No, what Scandinavia nov fears
that rabid form of Radicalism gor
mad which threatens to destroy Ru
STA, and which is Germany's create
enemy today. But those who are fan
iliar with the character Of responsib
men in the thee northern countri
feel as vet n11ito cnrf;dapk <ho& :.
matter how serious the situation ms
become, they will be able to cope wit
1t In such a manner as to again A.
IAN example for, the rest of the worl
Conservatives. Moderates., Radica
and Socialists in Scandinavia are a
firmly resolved that Bolshevism sha
not crush out the national life of IL
northern peoples. 1t may look dai
but, as a Danish poet says. "Abo,
the clouds, the sky is always blue