Minister Swenson to the Secretary of State
Copenhagen, January 15, 1902.
Sir: I have the honor to confirm my cablegram of this date, which deciphered reads as follows: [Printed ante.]
The Minister for Foreign Affairs received a cablegram from the Danish Minister at Washington last Saturday, the 11th instant, informing him that you could not accept the proposal for a vote. Nevertheless, Mr. Brun advises him to order an election in the islands before signing the treaty. This led Mr. Deuntzer to believe that you had intimated that such solution of the question would be acceptable to you, your objection being only against a stipulation for a plebiscite after signature of the treaty. Inasmuch as Mr. Brun had been instructed by mail to lay the matter fully before you, including the plan that he now recommends, and in view of your reply as cabled; my understanding is that you have declined to approve any of the propositions submitted by the Danish Government; and I have expressed this view to Mr. Deuntzer. He does not see, however, how Mr. Brun could give such advice without having assured himself that it would be perfectly safe to act upon it. I urged him to cable for more explicit information; but he preferred to await the arrival of an explanatory despatch, which he expects by next Monday’s or Tuesday’s mail—January 20 or 21st.—If the Minister for Foreign Affairs is given to understand that you will hear of no plebiscite before signature, he will, in my opinion, cause the treaty to be signed as soon as practicable. For political reasons, however, [Page 511] he may conclude to order an election in the islands after the signature, making ratification dependent upon the result. It would be well for the United States Government to make such arrangements as this contingency may suggest. See my No. 235, of the 21st ultimo, as to the probable outcome of a plebiscite. Information that you, undoubtedly, have on file in the Department regarding the influences that were prominent in the election of 1867 are also of interest in this connection. The petition for a plebiscite, treated of in my No. 236, dated December 27, 1901, was presented to the King, Monday, the 13th instant, by a deputation composed of the following five members: G. Brandes, Ph. D., author; N. Bang, director; C. Nyrop, Professor University of Copenhagen; J. Scavenius, formerly member of Folkething—defeated for reelection last spring, Professor Tscherning, surgeon.
The last named acted, as spokesman. He referred in rather apologetic words to the number of signatures secured—ca. 34,000. His Majesty who received the deputation cordially, replied as follows:
We thank you, gentlemen, for the interest you have manifested in this matter by referring it to us. As long, however, as diplomatic negotiations are pending, we are unable to express any opinion on the point you have emphasized. (Plebiscite.) We feel confident that our Ministry will safeguard the interests of the islands, and their inhabitants, and we beg you to share this, our confidence.
Yesterday the petition was handed to the President of the Folkething, who communicated it to that body at the opening of the day’s session.
It will lie three days in the reading room for inspection; and will then be taken up and referred to the Finance Committee.
This document has not made as much impression as had been expected. The Government organs—notably Dannebrog, owned by the Minister of Justice, and Politiken, with the Minister of the Interior as editor in chief—are belittling the whole movement for a vote by the “niggers.” * * *
I have [etc.]