Bridgeton Pioneer

STRANGE
IMBROGLIO.
Premier Estrup's Contempt for the
Will of the Danish People.
The Close of a Long and Most Curious
Political Struggle—Characteristics
of the Bismarck of
Denmark.

The late resignation of Jacob Estrup,
prime minister of Denmark, brings to
a close one of the longest and most
curious political struggles of the pres-
ent century, says the San Francisco
Call. To understand it it is necessary
to go back nearly thirty years. In 1866
the present constitution of Denmark
was approved by the monarch. Under
it the executive power was lodged in
the hands of the king and the legis-
lative power in those of the diet, con-
sisting of the landsthing and the
folkesthing. Under this constitution,
in 1875, Jacob Estrup became prime
minister. Five years afterward the
king and his ministry resolved to un-
dertake a system of fortifications which
were to cost a large sum of money and
to involve heavy taxation. The folkes-
thing—which corresponds to our house
of representatives—refused to assent
to the project, and took that oppor-
tunity of insisting on its right to initi-
ate financial measures and to require
the resignation of a ministry which
could not command its support. Both
demands were negatived by the king
He claimed the right of choosing his
ministers without regard to the wishes
of the folkesthing, and he insisted on
framing a budget to suit himself
Estrup haughtily refused to resign
office.

The dispute ended in a compromise
by which the king yielded everything
except the right to choose his minis-
try. But in 1881 the quarrel broke out
afres with increased virulence. Four
times the monarch dissolved the folkes-
thing, but at each election the lib-
erals gained strength. In 1883 a vote
of want of confidence in Estrup was
passed by a large majority, and the
supplies were reduced to a minimum
before they were voted. Estrup went
on administering the government as
though there was no such body as the
folkesthing in existence. The king ut-
terly repudiated the idea that the peo-
ple could dictate his choice of a minis-
try, and in retaliation the popular as-
sembly threw out every measure which
Estrup proposed.

The agitation gained strength until
in 1885, the folkesthing absolutely re-
fused to vote the budget, and left the
obnoxious Estrup ministry without
means to carry on the government.
The king retorted by dissolving the
diet. Thus freed from popular inter-
ference he and his ministers promul-
gated a royal law embodying a list of
appropriations and empowering the
ministry to collect taxes and make all
necessary expenditures for the conduct
of government. In other words the
constitution was suspended. This ab-
normal condition of affairs has gone on
ever since. The king and his ministers
frame a provisional budget, which is
approved by the landsthing, or house
of lords, and is rejected by the folkes-
thing. It is nevertheless put into
force, the taxes are collected and the
government is carried on. The pop-
ular house protests, but it has never
seen its way to enforce its protests by
an appeal to arms. Whenever a com-
promise has been proposed the king
has insisted that it should embrace a
bill of indemnity for the unconstitu-
tional acts of the past eight years, and
the leaders of the popular party have
always refused to surrender their
right of impeaching the usurping min-
isters.

The protracted existence of this curi-
ous anomaly has been due to various
causes. In the first place there is no
one in Denmark who can compare in
energy and persistency with Jacob
Estrup. He is like a rock against
which popular clamor dashes itself
with idle spray. He is not to be moved
by threats or argument. What he has
resolved upon has got to be. And he is
backed up by a house of lords—the
landsthing—which merely exists to
register his desires. King Christian is
a well-meaning, honest man of the
Bourbon type. He believes he knows
what is wisest for Denmark far better
than the people do. In political af-
fairs he is like Charles II. of Eng-
land and Charles X. of France rolled
into one. Personally he is a delightful
man, genial, kindly, familiar with let-
ters and art, and admired by all who
come into contact with him. He is the
father of a large family; one of his
sons is king of Greece, one of his
daughters is empress of Russia, and
another princess of Wales. It may
safely be assumed that the leaders of
the folkesthing were notified when
they fell out with his majesty that be-
fore proceeding to extremities they
had better consider whether England
and Russia might not feel impelled by
family ties to take a hand in the con-
troversy. Now at last Estrup has re-
signed and a new minister will prob-
ably be disposed to seek his own com-
fort by composing his differences with
the people of Denmark.