Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-08
The Norwegian Liberal Party.

In letter to the press Hialmer III.
Boyesen says: ut is very true that
Bjornstjerne BjOrnson is the leader of
the opposition to King Oscar H., but it
is not true that Biornson was ever SEN
fenced by court of Justice for 'chal-
longing his sovereign and if he had
been he would have been the last man
to run away from his sentence. The
Norwegian Government knows better
than to prosecute so powerful q man as
Bjornson. King Oscar and his Minis
tiers have hitherto confined themselves
to Furnishing humber men (such as the
editor torensen) for imaginary insults
to his Majesty, but although Biornson
has said much severer things than those
who have hitherto been prosecuted,
they have so far had the prudence to
let him alone. The Liberal party in
Norway lit is as yet premature to call it
Republican, has no quarrel with the
Swedish Government, but merely with
Oscar Bernadotte personally, who hap
pens to be King of Sweden rs well as
of Norway. On the contrary, there is
considerable sympathy in the Swedish
Parliament and among the Swedish
people at large with the Liberal move
ment in Norway. which aims merely at
protecting the Constitution of 1914
against the violation of the King, and
sc curing in reality the right of self
government which this Constitution
guarantees.
1.-The issues in the campaign which
has lust been concluded, and which has
resulted in such an overwhelming de-
feat for the Government, are briefly as
follows: The Norwegian Storthino
passed several years ago bill giving
the Ministers of the Crown seats in
Parliament. The King vetoed it twice,
but the Storthing passed it once more
over his veto. Now, according to the
Norwegian Constitution, bill becomes
law without the Kings sanction if
passed by three successive Storthings.
King Oscar, however, who felt these
successive defeats as a personal humil-
alton, set up a novel claim-that in con-
stitutional amendments he possessed an
absolute veto, and he accordingly re-
fused to promulgate the new law. Such
thing had never been heard of before
IN Norway. and it aroused an amount
OF Indignation among the people, which
can only lie measured by the size OF the
Liberal vote in the recent elections
BJornson, who is man of tremendous
eloquence, gave voice to this universal
Indignation, and protested in the name
OF the people against the usurpations
OF the Government. If he had been
the ambitious, but cowardly, demagoeue
which the London NeIcs represents him
as being, do you suppose the whole Ma
ton would have risen to indorse his
verdict on the King and to emphasize
his condemnation of the Government?
think not. There is not a nohler
more fearless, and more gifted man in
Norway than Bjornstierne B'ornson.
And the people know it, and they love
and revere him.
LAS for the insurance of 600, 900
crowns which the King recently pro-
cured before starting Tor Christiania,
that was mere tiimsy coup Ge uteater
which is thoroughly characteristic of
Oscar Bernadotte. He is himself fully
aware that he would personally be as
safe in Norway as Bjornson himself
Much as the people hate him, there is
not one who would raise a finger to do
him harm. What he wished to do (and
probably has succeeded in doing) was
to advertise to the world what a brave
man he IS, and what fierce and dan
gerous people his Norwegian subjects
are. Aid yet every one who knows the
Norsemen is aware that they are the
quietest and most law-abiding people in
Europe. They merely have the inso-
lence to demand the right to govern
themselves and to resist the Kings at
tempt to overthrow their Constitution.
1t is, therefore, Oscar and his Ministers,
and not Bjornson and the Parliamentary
majority, who are the rcvolutionists in
Norway"