The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-06-08
SWEDEN MAY
INVADE NORWAY
CRISIS IN SCANDINAVIA MORE
SERIOUS THAN IT SEEMS AT
THIS LONG DISTANCE.

Judged from this distance, it seems
almost impossible to imagine the Nor
wegians and Swedes, united as they
| have been for nearly a century to be SO
enraged at one another that they are
very apt to be locked in deadly strug-
gle in a short time unless wise mea-
sures prevail. Such however, seems to
be the case, to judge from the words of
| a Honolulu man, of Norwegian birth
and bringingup, who was spoken to
this morning on the subject.
Nothing would surprise me less than
to see the Swedes invade Norway" he
said, when asked as to the probable
outcome of the secession of Norway.
Although a Norwegian by BIRTH l liv-
ed for two years in Sweden and it is the
| irritating, even contemptuous, manner
which the Swedes adopt towards Nor
wegians which causes our Morse blood
to boil. You see, the Swedes seem to
think that Norway is a sort of pro-
| vince of theirs, a subject state with
which they can do what they please
but now they will find out to their cost
what a mistake they have made.
Ever since the union of Norway and
! Sweden in 1914 there has been discon-
tent on the part of Norway over the
terms and the Liberal party of Norway
has spared no effort in keeping alive
| the flame of Norwegian nationality, a
nationality as complete and distinct
from that of Sweden as that of the
| French is from the English, for in
stance.
"A constant source of pickering be-
tween the two, the matter which has
led to the present rupture, is that of
the consulates. The minister of For
elgn Affairs of the two countries has
always been a Swede, over whom the
Norwegian Storthing, or parliament
has had no control consequently Nor
ways interests all over the world have
been sacrificed for those Of Sweden. The
stoTthing passed a measure to establish
separate consular service but the king
| vetoed it with the final result that the
king has been deposed from the throne
! of Norway.
IF war results, t will be a war OF
| aggression on the part of Sweden
which may take the position that Nor
way is a state in rebellion against the
constituted authority. But Norway is
so situated that she is well able to pro
tect herself. Certainly the Norwegian
forces by both land and sea are smaller
than those of Sweden but on the lane
side they are given a great cOmpensa'
ton by the nature of the country
through which invading Swcd dish armies
would have to pass. 1t is mountainous
i'm marked degree, easy of defence bu
very difficult to force. The Norwegian
troops, too though less numerous, are
better trained and equipped and vii
fight to the bitter end for their cOun
try's preservation. AS to the sea pOWe
1t may be pointed out that the Norwe
gian coast does not present a very pro
missing field for the attack of naval YES
sells. 1t is rough rocky and very dan
gerous. Such points as are Vulnerable
have been protected by land defence'
and the Swedish navy will have III
hands full if it attempts to do much
J From letters that l have received
! from home quite recently 1 have anti
/ cipated serious trouble before long anC
l feel quite certain that Norway would
! not have forced the issue at this mo
| ment unless she had been prepared fol
the consequences. A feature of the
matter which should not be disregardeC
is that the present trouble has beer
/ precipitated in a measure by the result
of the Russo-Japanese comet. The
I Swedes and Norwegians have beer
/ forced to hang together in the past fol
! self protection from Russia. Nothing
/ would have pleased Russia better be.
! fore she got her eye blackened by japan
than to have Sweden and Norway al
war. She would assuredly have found
! some preteXt for interference with the
! inevitable result that she would have
! gobbled both countries if she could
Now apparently the Swedes and the
Norwegians seem to think they can
finish up their own trouble without
reference to Russian designs"