THE REVOLUTION IN DENMARK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4455, 7 November 1885, Page 3

THE REVOLUTION IN DENMARK.

[To the Editor of tub Daily Telegraph.]

Sin, —Seeing a leader in your issuo of yesterday touching on tho present state of affairs in Denmark, in which you mako somo errors, I will with your permission corrcot you, and, also, at tho snmo timo, givo tho general publio tho information I know in regard to the serious trouble at present breaking out in that far away naiivo land of mine. It is with deep regrot aud feolings of great sorrow that I view one decado after another cutting into ( nnd narrowing down tho extent of territory and power of Denmark Thero wa,s a time in history when the Danish Lion and the Dauish warrior were dreaded or respected as tho case might bo ; when his sway extended from time to timo over such countries as England, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and tho largo provinces on tho Baltic, new belonging to Russia. With prido do wo look back to the young days of that nation, nnd with pity mingled with veneration at his old ago and decrepit state. Denmark has at tho present time a population of 2,000,000; it is governed by an Upper and a Lower Houso called (Landtthingrt and Volke thin get). Tho Upper Houso is elected by the landed proprietors and King, tho Lower Houso by general election of tho people. You say that wo owe our constitution to tho present King, and that wo got, it in 186-3. That is wrong. Frederick tho VII granted a free constitution to Denmark on the sth of June, 1849, which is callod grundhren (in English, foundation law), and thero is not in Denmark a moro popular or general holiday than this sth of Juno, the anniversary of freedom. Christian tho DC, with his conservative ideas, and a few aristocratic members have for the last ten years dono all they possibly could to break up the freedom and to put tho iron shackles of oppression on again ; aud it is an unprecedented fuct that there is j nt present mi opposition in tho House of eighty members against a minority of twenty-five and still tho minority keep the Government benches, and will not vacate in favor of tho majority. I think this unprecedented in tho history of nations, after a Government is defeated on every motion, on every vote by overwhelming majorities, after **■ thoy havo been dissolved and returned by loss numbers half-a-dozen times, making laws that nobody takes any notice of, nnd still sticking to tho benches. I think with a good many moro that the time is very near when a small doso of good sound dynamite will bo put under thoso benches to sco if that wouldn't shift this plethoric Government and King across that little silver streak as you say, or else down very deop whero some people reckon it is pretty hot. You say this ferment has gono on for somo montbs, and tho King will not dissolvo Parliament. No ;hu has got reasons not to dissolve bocause he has mado himself so very unpopular in Denmark through his obstinate refusal to make reforms where they arc most required, and in trying to take liberty away where it already is, that most likely he would soon bo glad to be King of tho Cannibal Islands. At a recent review of 40,000 troops n few officers cheered, but tho privates remained silent at the approach of tho King, also this ferment has not gono on for a few months ns you say, but for several years, and no nation I think with tho exception of the phlegmatic and easy-going Dane, would put up with such down right audacity as tho King and thoso twenty-iivo members havo practised upon them, and if they collared tho whole lot and drowned them in tho Kattigut it woidd bo no more than thoy richly deserve. I should like to know how the peoplo iv New Zealand would put up with a state of affairs liko tho above ; tho old raco of Vikings that dared the sou in their canoes a thousand years ago must havo degenerated greatly both in spirit and prido to allow such practices without retaliating iv a very positive and sanguine way. I wutch anxiously **TT"r further iicwh regarding this affair, as the freedom of the nation is at stake, and the sooner I hoar of tho King and his gang y travelling westward ho! across tho silver streak or somewhero elso the better a loyal Dane will liko it.—l am, etc., V. Jensen.

Napior, November 6th, 18S5. [Tho only point on which our correspondent differs from us is the dato of tho existing Danish Constitution. A reference to Men of tho Timo will show that King Christian inaug-umted tho Constitution in November, 1806, when thoKing opened tho liigidarj, the members of which woro elected in accordance with the now electoral law.— Ed. D.T.]