THE AMERICAN-SCANDINA VIAN REVIEW 
631 
Denmark 
CfThe plan for the reorganization of Denmark’s military defenses 
which has been on the order of the day for nearly two years was 
nnally passed after a rather stormy night session of the Folkethins* 
July 27, with 73 against 70 votes. Those voting for were the Lib¬ 
erals (the government party) and most of the Conservatives. Those 
voting against were the Radicals, the Industrial party, the Socialists 
and one Conservative. The Conservative was Count Bent Holstein’ 
who, like some of the other members of his party, took the position that 
the plan of defenses proposed by the government was totally inade¬ 
quate. The other members of the group, however, refrained from 
voting, as did also the German deputy, Pastor Schmidt, who felt it 
proper m his case not to mix in this purely national question, i JThe 
law which was finally adopted by a compromise of the Liberals with 
a majority of the Conservatives will reduce the annual expenditure 
for military defenses from about 60,000,000 kroner to 47,000,000 
kroner. Af the same time the man power of the army will be reduced 
from 120,000 to 70,000 men and the annual enlistment from 11,500 
to 7,000 men. The equipment will be modernized, and the force 
l edisti lbuted so that the various parts of the country will have garri¬ 
sons in piopoition to the number of inhabitants, while the main body 
of tioops will be stationed in Copenhagen and the smaller towns in 
Sjaelland. €|A debate which, measured by Danish standards, was 
quite violent, preceded the final voting and occupied several days. 
Several counter-proposals were brought before the house. The Social¬ 
ists wanted complete disarmament except for a small police force of a 
few thousand men and a few armored ships for fishery inspection and 
similar purposes. It was estimated that an annual expenditure of 
7,500,000 kroner would suffice for this. The Radicals wished a some¬ 
what more comprehensive system. They favored the abolition of com¬ 
pulsory military service, the annual enlistment of 3,000 volunteers, 
and a military budget of not more than 22,000,000 kroner. IJAs 
neither of these substitute bills could get a majority in the Folkething, 
the two parties united in proposing that the government bill should 
be laid before the people in a plebiscite. Premier Neergaard opposed 
the plebiscite on the grounds that it would create a precedent by which 
the Rigsdag would in time be reduced to a body without authority 
and without power to pass any important law unless it were first laid 
before the people. He declared that if the proposal for a plebiscite 
were passed, the government would resign. The plebiscite was then 
defeated with 77 against 68 votes. CJWhile most of the Conservatives 
by agreement supported the Liberal proposal, some of the members 
of the party made a passive resistance, and Count Bent Holstein 
resisted with a violence which caused his exclusion from the party. 
