OCR Text |
Show DENMARK'S CLAIM. As early everyone knows, Prussia forcibly took the two dukedoms of Lau-renburg Lau-renburg and Schleswig-Holstein from Denmark more than half a century ago. The treaty of 3860 provided for a plebiscitee in Schleswig, to decide whether the inhabitants would prefer allegiance to Germany or Denmark. More treaties were signed during the ensuing ten years, but like all the other oth-er solemn conventions entered into by the Germans, these instruments hftve been treated as mere scraps of paper and the plebiscite has never been ordered. or-dered. Now that the empire is to be compelled to relinquish its hold upon other conquorcd territory, the Danes have called the attention of the government govern-ment at Berlin to the fact that the treaties made with them have never been carried out, the Copenhagen officials offi-cials insisting that the time for the Germans to make good has arrived. If self-determination is to be the rule, there is no good reason why the inhabitants inhabi-tants of Schleswig should not have the promised plebiscite as soon as peace is declared, but it would only be serving the Germans right if the territory acquired ac-quired by force should be taken away from them and restored to its rightful owners. Denmark has had to submit to the robbers because it would have been suicide to declare war against such a powerful military people. Now that the Hun power is broken, of course the Danes feel strong enough to claim their own. Hence the note to the Berlin government. gov-ernment. In order to make sure, the Danish government should take advantage ad-vantage of the existing situation and occupy the territory wrested from them in the long ago. |