Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-05

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, February IL.
AS cabled to the Associated Press
at the time a reporter of the Associ-
ated Press was recently accorded an
audience of King Oscar of Sweden and
Norway. The following details of the
interview are interesting:
Every Tuesday morning, whenever
King Oscar is at his capitol, any OF
his subjects may be received by him
with hardly any formality. Foreign
ers of course are only given an aud
fence if they are previously summon
ed, and then only drought the med
ium of their respective ministers. The
correspondent arrived at the royal
palace at 10 o'clock in the morning.
Mounting five flights Of stairs he en-
tered an ante-chamber where one non
commissioned officer from each OF the
regiments of light guards stood at at
tention. Several laekeys helped the
correspondent to take off his overcoat;
he kept his hat, as 1t is the custom to
carry it in the hand when admitted to
the presence of the king. In the next
room the correspondent was received
by the Kings adjutant After short
conversation he took the correspond
ent into another room, grand saloon,
one of the most beautiful and gor
geous rooms in the palace. There the
adjutant introduced the correspondent
to the chamberlain, who thereupon
went into the Kings private rooms.
Returning in a minute, he told the
visitor the King was ready to receive
him.
King Oscar was standing in the CEN
ter of the room dressed in the uni
form of a general of the Swedish ar
my His Majesty is more than six
feet tall; his face has an expression
OF sympathy an intelligence. From
his sprightly movements you would
never dream that he is a man of II
years.
The King advanced few steps to-
ward the correspondent, extended his
hand and babe him welcome to Stock
holm. His Majesty was very much
interested in hearing about the con-
ditions in America. Nothing happen
ing there has escaped him. He spoke
of the feud in Kentucky and about
the educational institutions with the
same knowledge of facts He had re-
GREETED very much to hear of the
death of Gen. Lawton in the Philip
pines, showed great interest in what
was taking place on the islands and
asked many questions in regard to the
progress of the campaign.
Naturally the king was much con-
cerned about the war in South Africa.
1t must be remembered that Great
Britain, though in no way an ally of
Sweden and Norway is the best guar
antee of the independence of the two
northern countries. Great Britain's
world power, once broken, it would not
be long before the two little nations
were swallowed up by their mighty
neighbor in the east.
From King Oscars conversation the
correspondent believed his majesty
was in favor of the British in South
Africa. However, he spoke in the
highest terms of the great strategic
ability of the Beers, and expressed
fervent wish that our own war in the
Philippines and the Transvaal war
would soon be over.
AS to the internal troubles of his
two countries, the king naturally
would not speak for publication. To-
ward the end of the audience, the king
took the correspondent into his pri-
vate writing room, selected splendid
likeness of himself, said it was the best
portrait of him and wrote his name
across it and asked the correspondent
to keep it as a memento of the audi
ence.
The king then sent through the As
ISOLATED Press the greeting to the Scan
dinavians in the United States which
was contained in the cable dispatch.
A few days later the correspondent
was received by the new minister OF
foreign affairs, Mr.. Lagerheim. At the
time the correspondent had cabled
short account of the minister's opinion
of the troubles between Sweden and
Norway. The following additional
facts may be of interest. Mr.. Lager
helm, who was delighted at being Of
fered by the Associated Press the OPP
portunity of giving his views, said:
Having been away from Sweden
for the last thirteen years as ambassa-
dor to Germany, it is naturally difficult
for me to speak so soon after taking
Office on the political differences be-
tween Sweden and Norway. Until I
visited Norway and closely studied its
side of the controversy, l cannot ex-
press myself on the entire subject.
will say. however, that think both