East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-09-18
THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN
SCANDINAVIA.

The following entertaining review
of the Scandinavian situation at close
range, from the pen of Hjalmar
Hjorth Boyesen. the famous Norwe-
gian author. is one of the most COM
prehensive reviews yet published and
is taken from the October number of
the Cosmopolitan Magazine:
The present issue between Norway
and Sweden is purely industrial and
commercial. The chief sources of
Sweden's wealth are agriculture.
mines and manufactures, while Nor
ways fisheries and her merchant ma
rine, fourth in size among those of the
world are her only large revenue
/ producers. Sweden thus requires the
protective tariff. now operative in both
countries, while Norway's welfare
would be greatly increased by free
/ trade. Moreover, two such incompat-
+ ible interests cannot be we'll admins
/ tered by a single set of consuls. The
present crisis grows directly out of
Norway's demand for separate con-
sular service and Sweden's refusal to
grant ii,
Swedens opposition is from her
/ standpoint entirely reasonable. Two
distinct consular systems can hardly
/ be conducted by one department of
state. To give Norway separate
state department would lead to separ-
| ate ambassadors and treaty-making
powers, accomplishing rapidly Swe-
den's entire loss of Norway. That
Sweden recognizes this is shown by the
fact that when, few years ago, the
/ Norwegian Storthing negotiated an
advantageous commercial treaty with
the United States, the king promptly
vetoed it,
Sweden has sounded several Eur
/ opean governments to secure their CO.
ercion of Norway to remain i'm the
/ union, but thus far only Germany has
seemed likely to interfere. To check
such step. Norway invited "A prince
/ of the house of Bernadotte, King Os-
cars family, to occupy the throne, but
/ the request was, naturally enough, re-
/ fused. Next Prince Charles. grand
son of King Christian of Denmark.
was asked to reign over Norway. and
| there is a strong likelihood that his
/ acceptance will solve the problems of
Sweden and Norway, unless a foreign
power intervenes to force Denmark's
| refusal.
Ever since Denmark was compelled
% surrender Norway, in 1914, after
! y noleon's defeat at Leipsic and the
Peace of Kiel, these two nations have
been on the best of terms. To be
ruled by a member of the Danish
royal family would please the vast
majority of Norwegians.
, To many of the Scandinavian born
Americans more than a million i'm
number. admiring their adopted coun-
try's form of government, il has been
a deep regret that If the separation
had to occur, the Storthing did not
organize a republic, instead of perpet-
uating the ancient monarchical sys-
TEN. But Norway, it must be remem-
bered. is the most democratic king
dom in Europe. Monarchy has been
a matter of form only. and has never
oppressed the people.
Moreover, Norwegian republic
would be isolated from Sweden and
Denmark. Scandinavians realize that
the continuance of their freedom de-
pends largely on their presenting a
united front to an enemy. Russia has
constantly coveted the Norwegian
coast line. with its ice-free winter har-
bors. Sweden and Norway together
have a population only equal to that
of New York. Imagine that state
placed near to Russia and resisting
her encroachments, and some idea of
the perils of the situation can be OBJ
tanned.
| Under separate kings all the bitter
ness between Sweden and Norway will
disappear, just as close ties grew up
between Norway and Denmark soon
after their separation. Common need
| and common policies will then give
rise to Scandinavian triple alliance
which will safeguard the peaceful well
fare of the three peoples and permit
their industries, arts and literatures tc
I flourish.