Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-23

That thrones should go a-begging IS
not conducive to the maintenance OF
the prestige which is the principal
foundation upon which they rest. II
serves to cheaper monarchy as form
of government in the eyes OF the people,
and under the circumstances IL Is prop-
able that pressure VIII be qulety
brought to bear upon King oscar py ms
fellow sovereigns to induce him to yield
I'm so far to the demands Of the Morse
men as TO permit the election OF one 81
hjs grandsons as ruler OF Norway In
his stead. II he declines to accede to
these views. and persists In refusing ID
recognize either the independence or the
NOrwegians or their right to a King OF
their own, the world will be treated
once more to the strange spectacle OF
crown being hawked about through
the length and breadth OF Europe ana
spurned by everyone In turn.
For it is difficult to understand where
an eligible candidate could be found
outside of the BernadOtte dynasty.
There Is SO much jealousy among the
great Powers that it is evident that no
near kinsman of any Of the principal
monarchs would be acceptable to the
others. and, moreover. there is not a
court in the Old World that would
relish the notion Of affronting the royal
family of Sweden or of giving encour-
age,nent to revolutionary nationalist
movements by accepting throne that
owes it's existence to rebellion.
The reigning house of Denmark is too
closely allied by ties Of blood and or
friendship to that Of Swedcn-the
Crown Princess of Denmark being the
only child Of the late King of Sweden
to admit Of any of its Princes becoming
ruler of Norway in defiance of King
Oscars wishes, and Prince Louis
Bonaparte. whose name has been put
forward is too much identified With
Russia. in whose army he has been
serving for so many years, to render IL
conceivable that mis- presence on the
throne at Christiana would be tolerated
for one moment by Germany. Sweden
and Great Britain, all of whom are
equally interested in preventing the
Car from obtaining an open port on
the Atlantic. And Tromso, one OF the
most northerly of Norwegian towns.
with a magnificent harbOr on the At
lantic. lies within less than twenty
miles of the border line OF Finland, that
is to say, of Russia. and would, OF
course, be soon available for Muscov,te
use, military and naval, as well as COLL
merciaI, were Louis Napoleon, the Rus
sian cavalry General, to become King
of Norway.
The situation is not unlike that which
prevailed after the Belgian revolution
in $780, when ''les braves Belges' rose
against their Dutch monarch, cut them
selves adrift from Holland and began
looking for King Of their own. inc
crown was rendered to quite a large
number of Princes. among others TO the
late Due de Nemours, all of whom re-
fused it with so much promptitude and
even contempt that one OF the popular
French caricaturists Of the day was
moved to the publication of cartoon
representing prosperous iooKhls
Partisan bourgeois leaving his home IN
the morning for his business and III
structing his "bonne" that IF anyone
calls while I'm out to tender me the
Belgian crown, for the love of God, say
that my business engagements VIII not
permit me to accept 1t.
1t was not until after many months,
indeed, nearly year later. that Prince
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. widower OF
Princess Charlotte of England, allowed
himself to ne induced to accept the
crown, and was thercupon duly elected
his reign being inaugurated by an IN
yasion Of his dominions by the Dutch,
which was only repulsei with the as
sistance Of King Louis Philippe OF
France. whose daughter Louise Leopold
2.