Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-08-08
FREEDOM OF THE noRwEelANs
William e. Curtis Tells How Norway
is Ruled.


interest, as it conveys much informl
tion of Il general character. We hope
to republish several of the letters
written by MIR. Curtis on Norway and
| its conditions:
CHRISTIANIA. July Norway is q
free and Independent nation, but
shares with Sweden the luxury OF a
king. The partnership also extends
to the diplomatic and consular ser
vice, which is constant subject oi
irritation. Otherwise the two coun-
| tries are absolutely independent of
each other, having their own consti-
tutions, which differ materially on i'm
portant points. There has been con
siderable jealousy between the part
| ners, but | am told that it is dying
out. The king is popular and well
loved, and the crown prince, who by
| the laws of nature. must sooner or
later ascend the throne is improving
in the affections of the people of Nor
way, where he has a palace reserved
for him. and the people of the coun-
try pay certain proportions of the
expenses of the royal household.
| There is an Independent coronation
in each kingdom and the sovereign is
required to open the first and close
the last meeting of the Norwegian
parliament each session
King Oscar has become an old man.
| He has passed ~ years, and he has
delegated many of his powers to Gus
taf, the heir to the throne, although
there has not been n formal abdica-
ton. Gustaf is authorized to appear
as the representative of his majesty
on formal occasions. and thus his sub.
jects in Norway are becoming ac.
quainted with him and respect his fine
qualities and abilities. He is repre-
sented to be intellectually one of the
ablest of all the royal families of Eu-
rope, although a man OF modest dis
position. He lis fond of literature and
art and has done much to encourage
the development of the sciences among
his subjects.
The king is commander in chief of
the military forces of both countries
and exercises the right of appoint
ments in both. The government of
fees. the courts of Justice, the collec-
tion of customs and the management
of the finances are absolutely sepa-
rate. quite as much as those of the
United States and Canada. Both gov
ernments impose duties upon mer-
chandise imported from the other;
each is responsible for it's own ma
tional debt each has its own coat of
arms and its own flag. although until
recently both flags have borne a sym
Dol of unity. In the left upper cor
ner of either flag has appeared rep
resentation of the other, but in 1898
the parliament of Norway decided that
the Swedish symbol should be taken
from its flag. This was the subject
of long and bitter debate, and the
wisdom of the act is still questioned
by large portion of the people It
was the work of the radical party, the
platform of which advocates the sep
aration of the kingdoms. Sweden re-
tains the Norwegian symbol upon its
flag and many Norwegians would
be glad if it were removed because
they fear it may be misunderstood rs
evidence that Norway is province of
Sweden.
Under the act of the union the cab
ints of both countries frequently hold
joint meetings to consider questions
of common interest, and the Norwe-
gian government has misister of
state always residing at Stockholm
for the purpose of dealing directly
with the king. The chief complaint
of the Norwegians, as l have said,
is that Sweden controls the foreign
policy of the two kingdoms, as the Nor
weSians and radicals are resolutely
demanding an Independent foreign Of
flee and diplomatic consular service
OF their own, although from the ear
llest days OF the partnership Norway
has made Independent treaties with
foreign powers. The conservative
party which advocates the retention
OF the present system. can only argue
in It's favor on the point of economy
which is very strong one among this
frugal and thrifty people. In appoint
ing plenipotentiaries and consus the
king has been quite impartial and on
that ground the Norwegians have no
tduSt loI complaint. AL least one
half of the diplomatic and consular
corps are Norwegians.
This question comes up at every
meeting of the Norwegian parliament.
and as political issue the policy of
separate foreign service is growing
in favor.
The constitution of Norway, like
that of the United States. invests all
power in the people. who are repre-
sented by their legislature and their
judiciary, with the king as an exec
utive to administer the laws passed
by the one and enforce the DEGREES
of the other. 1t requires vote of
twothirds of the parliament 70 enact
law, and the approval of the Fling
is necessary. He also is required to
promulgate all the acts of the legis-
lature. Many Norwegian statesmen
assert that the king has no veto pow
er. but merely temporary authority
to suspend n law pending the action
t,x ,l.n