Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-08-09
SCANDINAVIAN NEWS
Interesting Notes From Across the
Ocean.
HAPPENINGS IN THE FATHERLAND,
Principal Events that Have Occurred in
the Old Countries About the
North Sea Within q Week
or So Just Past.
SWEDEN.

SWEDEN.
Remarkable legislation against
strikes: Both houses of the rlksdag
surprised the people of Sweden last
winter by passing very severe bill re-
lating to the suppression of strikes.
Some of the most intelligent members
OF both houses produced apparently
crushing arguments against the bill
but in the midst of semi-panic caused
by extensive and bitter labor conflicts
it was passed by an overwhelming ma
jority in the first chamber and by a
vote of los to 90 in the second chamber.
Those who were against the measure
availed themselves of the last resort,
referring the bill to the supreme court
for an opinion. This body condemned
the bill by unanimous vote, and this
was supposed to have killed the bill for
years to come. But the government ig-
nored the opinion of the supreme
court aud the king attached his sigma
ture to the bill July 10, Incorporating
it into the body of the laws of the
kingdom of Sweden. The bill was in
troduced by P. Pehrsson of Akarp; and
Mr.. Annerstedt, the minister of public
justice, is directly responsible for the
ratification of it by the king. The
bill amends two paragraphs in the
penal code and the points at issue are
covered by section %, which is sub
joined in full: IF any one, without
due rights, or by abusing his rights,
by violence or threats, compels some
one else to do, say or neglect something,
he shall be punished by penal labor not
to exceed two years in case his INSIDE
meanor does not entail a more severe
law" The following is the real kerr
mel in that the above law applies when
some one attempts to compel another
to take part in a strike, or to prevent
another from returning to work or
from accepting when offered. The
marvel of this law lies in the fact that
it metes out the same punishment for
''attempt at crime" as for the actual
accom- plishment of crime.
Crown Princess Victoria was expect
ed to arrive at Malmo July 10, after an
absence of about eight months in
Southern and Central Europe.
The counterfeit one hundred kronor
($27) bills are generally handled by
"Americans'; that is to say, people
who have lived in America. The bills
themselves also seem to be an Ameri-
can productivity are so we'll made.
The king has appointed strong
committee to consider the question of
building of homes for laborers in the
country. One of the members of the
committee is the noted "Lector" Wal
denstrom.
The opening of two churches in Kris
tiania during week days attracted very
few customers, and goodly proper
ton of these acted as though they did
not know what they wanted. A few,
however, knelt down in silent prayer.
Proportional representation in GER
tain legislative and administrative
bodies does not seem to have kept all
that its advocates promised for it, and
many newspapers, as well as the ma
tional labor convention recently held
at Kristiansund, have expressed them
selves against one feature of the most
recent election laws, namely, the, pro-
vision that voter may ''accumulate'
all the votes he is entitled to cast, on
single candidate. 1t is therefore rea-
sonably certain that it will take time
before the proportional representation
system is introduced in the election of
members of the storthing.
Kristiania and Trondhjem have four
representative each in the storthing,
but the former has five times as many
voters as the latter. No wonder it is
proposed to rearrange the storthing
districts of the country on a more just
basis.
A Norwegian-Swedish committee is
to be appointed to report on the pur-
chase of the new rapid firing field
pieces. The following are mentioned
as Norwegian members of the commit
tee: Col. Peters. Major Vessel and Capt.
II. Stang.
The money stringency is rather in
creasing. 1t is an alarming omen that
the Cammermeyer Publishing COM
pany, the largest in Norway, and one
of the largest in the world, called a
special meeting of it's stockholders
July IL. The result of the meeting
was that 1.-The different branches of
the business were found to be good,
but it was resolved to organize a SYM.
dicate to procure necessary capital for
the company" It is likely that the
crisis was averted, since no cablegram
has mentioned the matter.
The king, after spending fortnight
in Kristiania, has just gone to Mar
strand, a small island north of Gothen-
burg, which is one of his maiesty's
most favorite summer resorts, and he
proposes to spend the balance of the
hot season at this place.
The assets of Christophersen & Co.
amount to 1,5oo,0 900, the liabilities to
80, ZOO, 900.
A steamer of 900 tons was launched
at the Frames shipyards, Sandefjord.
Two other steamers of the same size
will be constructed.
Ex-Empress Eugene has made trip
along the coast of Norway with the
pleasure yacht Thistle.
Two boys who attended wedding
at Glasver prepared a mine in a rock
to salute the bridal couple; but pre-
mature explosion killed one of the boys.
-Four thousand eight hundred and
fifty-nine persons emigrated from Nor
way in 1898.
Marins Hegstad, member of the stor-
thing from Namsos, has been clected
professor of Norwegian dialects in the
University of Norway.