Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-02-03
GOSSIP FROM:
SCANDINAVIA:
FINLAND.

BJornstjerne Bjornson, the NorWe
gian poet. The Finnish demagogues
are said to be making Kristiania a
hotbed for their anti-Russian 4gita-
ton. Foremost among those that they
have captured is Bjornson, who, in
his poem to Finland, gives vent to his
hate for Russia, and has the unheard-
of audacity to attack the sacred per-
son OF the car. The poet has re-
ceived the exiled Fin1anders with
open arms. A general Scandinavian
agitation is planned, which is also to
include Denmark. Bjornson pays the
expenses of the propaganda in Fin
land, and the Nobel prize was given
to him with these expenses in view.
The paper calls the attention of the
government to Bjornson's agitation
in conjunction with Finnish ''ideolo-
gists and jingoes," whose aim is to
arouse bad feelings against Russia
and it's monarch, and to place diff
culties in the way of Russia when Sc
rious political complications arise.
The national bank of Russia is
about to open branch offices in differ
ent parts of Finland, beginning in
Helsingfors.
The governor general of Finland
has received an imperial nescript
which orders him to discharge all
Finnish officials who have not per-
formed their due service in the third
battalion of the Finnish artillery, and
to grant them no passes for leaving
the country for a period of five years.
Students who have refused to report
for military training without good
cause shall stay away from school
for one year. Those who fail to APP
pear when called by the military au-
thoritles in 1904 shall serve in reg
iments outside of Finland.
The total population of the cities
of Finland was 355,527 on the last
day of the year 1908, as against 343,
OIL on the same date the previous
year, the increase being 1896. The
city of Helsingfors scored a growth
of about 5000.
A contributor to a Finnish paper
proposes that the titles "herra''
(Mr) and 'rouva' (Mrs.) be replaced
by genuine Finnish words. For cher
RAJ he proposes ''uros," which means
a grown, manly man. The CORE
spending feminine would be ''motar''
(madam), which could be applied to
both married and single women.
Helsingfors had 102,729 inhabitants
at the close of the old year, having
passed the 100000 mark some time
last summer.
SWEDEN.
The great master of the ordnance
has stated in an interview that the
time needed for making a thorough
test of the field howitzers will be
riations will be required for thai
particular kind of arms until some
time in the year 1906.
The city council of Varberg ha:
voted bonds in the sum of $4,000 fol
the Varberg, Ullared and Atran rail
way, provided the city is permitted
to borrow that amount on forty
year installment plan.
The nomadic Lapps of northern
most Sweden are said to have beer
suffering great reverses during the
past twelve months. At a meeting
with the bailiff of Gellivare and Juck
asjarvi they reported that the unfa
favorable weather of the past veal
greatly decimated the reindeer f1ocks
A majority of the young fawns froze
to death last spring, and the pas
lures were poor in both mountains
and valleys, chiefly on account of the
ravages of the Jennings. The rein
deer moss was almost wholly con
sumed by these destructive little ami
mails, and the reindeer shun the fod
der soiled by them. The reindeer
therefore, are very thin and weak
and it is feared that they may sue
cumb to diseases. The wolves have
done little damage, but an unusually
large number of reindeer have beer
killed by bears. The country around
Kebnekaise fairly teens with bears
At said meeting the Lapps said they
would gladly enlist in the army like
other Swedes.
BY means of a royal dispensatior
son of L. F. Wahlquist of Oster
MAIN, Stockholm, has been excused
from the study of religion at the pub
lie schools.
The fire in the Iroquois theatre
Chicago, caused the closing of many
theatres in Sweden, and they will mo-
be opened. again until they have beer
made reasonably safe in case of fire
The city of Malmo paid out $522.1'
in rat bounties for the year 1908, ant
the number of rats killed was 1898
The Swedish newspapers are indus
triously charging upon ''the hare
tines in the United States, and i
may be taken for granted that emf
grafton wills be light this year.
The condition of the queen wa!
fairly satisfactory during the Christ
mas holidays, but on the 5th of Jan
uary she had an attack of influenza
The profits of the government banl
for the year 1908 were $1,20o,902.76.
The provision made Tor proportion
al representation in the suffrage re
form bill reported by the committee
is severely scored by Prof. Charlie
who claims that the bill fails to d.
justice to the small political parties
He figures out that in district en-
titled to three seats in the secon'
chamber of the ril1sdag, party poll
ing 5000 votes would elect all thre
candidates though three small par
ties polled 1900 votes each.
The extra employees in the post
office department will be granted
raise of wages amounting to ten pc
cent on the old rates.
Col. A. Won Matern of the Gotta re
! o;mon< ranorted that the Siphtin