The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-17
= sEsE Ri & 81 : = = &
Nornnannaheil11en
DEBATE | |;.||' tt. on FAMINE !
Waldenstrom Asks Some Rather
Pointed Questions in the
Swedish Riksdag.
a Big Tract of Minnesota Land
Secured for a Finnish
! l., Colony.

1t was lively day that P. P. Walden
strom, brought to- pass in the Swedish
riksdag when he called upon the govern
ment to answer some questions regarding
the relief measures in Norrland. =. The
questions were asSfollows: -
First-What has been done by the gov
ernment to relieve the distress
4 Second-Does& the government consider
these steps sufficient. - r.
Third-If not does the government con-
slider that 1t is for the country's honor and
benefit that. the central relief committee
having. an official character should turn
to foreign countries for aims?
Fourth-Has the government any def
mite knowledge of the attempts Of en-
ployers to take advantage Of the condt-
tions to reduce wages? :.
Hr. Odelberg, minister of agriculture.
answered.. The government had trans
ported all the relief supplies amounting
to 5000 car loads free Of charge or at
greatly reduced rates. Regarding the suf-
ficiency Of the relief measures he could
only say that Governor Bergstrom had
estimated that 920, 90 kr. were still needed.
: On the third point he paid high compli-
ments to the men who had been engaged
in the relief work; if they had disgraced
Sweden he wanted to share in it. The
Americans in particular were entitled to
the highest praise. He called attention
" II0 ldCL L1leL d d0WOulSI-tAl110IlCdA1 paper
had published a statement from Hr. Wall
denstrom belittling the famine stories re-
ports. He believed however that some
Of the stories were greatly exaggerated.
Hr. Odelberg was obliged to acknoWl-
edge that the wages were too low by far in
Norrland and he admitted that an en-
ployer had sought to profit by the pre-
| Vailing distress.
Mr., Waldenstrom replied that he had
fhn, hat t1,1 orift CHI MT
| have been accepted, but the government
| should have done more and above all
| should have supplied the newspapers with
! reports the actual conditions. The
| American papers had given distorted and
| false information which discredited SWe-
! den.
! Hr. Bystrom came quickly to the de-
Tense of the American press and gave it
! the highest praise for having rendered in
valuable aid to the starving peasants of
| Norrland. The Swedish press had pub
| lished stories every whit as sensational
| as the American newspapers and nothing
! that either class had said would soil the
| Swedish honor.
Hr. Kronlund painted the distress in
Norrland as wildly as any Of the papers.
He relieved DR.. Waldenstor1n of the inn
| putation Of sending out information be-
| littling the distress and received the
thanks of the doctor, as did Hr. Starback.
It appears from this that Dr. Walden
| strom's position was misrepresented in
a Chicago mission publication.
! Hr.. Starback reminded the members
Of the aid sent to Chicago from Sweden
after the big fire and pointedly asked if
America had suffered any humiliation or
dishonor. when the Gift was accepted.
! sx.H .Hr., Thorsson. reminded those present
| that the papers had been sustained in
their charges against the ~lumbermen by
the government itself and showed BY fig.
ures that the wages had been crowded
down. Several Of the speakers were still
Of the opinion that Sweden had been
humiliated, but there was nothing brought
forth in the debate which lasted for two
and a half hours to show that the Ameri.
can correspondents had made any. mis-.
representations in important particulars