The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-09-21
Great Changes Wrought by
American Influences.
REPUBLIC IN ALL BUT THE NAME

AoI tuc last quarter OF century,
and it Is largely result Of the influ-
ence Of the states lying north Of Mis-
souri, on the Mississippi river, says
correspondent Of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. With Iowa and Minnesota
and with Nebraska and the Dakotas
also the people Of Norway have been
brought into closer and closer rela-
tons by increasing Norwegian immi-
grafton. AS result Of constant CORE
spondence between Norwegians in the
west and Norwegians at home Amer
lean ideas have taken deep hold and
have overgrown the ideas Of the
French constitution on which the un-
ion with Sweden under the French
Bernadottes was based. An idea Of
these relations is given by the fact that
Norwegians in the United States send
home over three-quarters Of million
dollars a year through the postoff1ce
department and much larger amounts
in bank drafts. They know the town
politics Of the American west almost
as we'll In Knute Nelson's birthplace in
sofa and also the brands Of flour made
Of Minnesota wheat. American WIS.,
itors to Hammersfest, the northern
most town in the world" where the
sun does not set at all from May 13 to
July %, find the same brands Of -four
1o r.ir
and at Tromso, where it lis midnight
for seven months, monday for three
months and twilight the rest of the
year." they are using the latest i'm
proved American electric lights dur
ing the seven months of night.
AS a result Of this close connection,
any modern movement" which wins
in the politics Of Minnesota, Nebraska,
Kansas or Colorado is likely to appear
In Norway very soon. Thus the grant,
ing Of suffrage to women in some OF
our western states resulted in almost
revolutionary changes in Norwegian
politics. Miss Gina Krog, who is cali
ed the Norwegian Susan B. Anthony"
began an agitation for woman suffrage
In Norway and made SO many of the
speeches on the subject which every
one knows almost by heart In the
American west, that the Conservatives
Of the storthing, or national parlia-
ment, could not keep the property quail
ification for male suffrage against the
results Of the agitation. The Norwe-
gian Liberals combined with the Rad
icals, and between 1898 and 1901 Nor
wegian suffrage was reorganized with
a close approximation to the Kansas
plan Of universal suffrage, including
suffrage for women in municipal af-
fairs.
In spite of the fact that it has been
so long in union with Sweden, with
the reigning representative Of the
Swedish Bernadottes as the executive
head Of it's government, the Norwegian
government is already republican in
everything but it's form, and, while In
some respects it is more radically re-
publican than Minnesota or Kansas,
under it's constitution, originally mod
cleo on that of the French republic, It
abolished all titles Of nobility and all
other titles except such as belong to
holders Of Office during their incum-
bency. The storthing, which repre-
sents the ancient general assembly of
the people, out Of which the American
congress developed, is closer to the
American congress than is the parlia-
ment OF any European country which
recognizes the principle Of royalty. It
repudiates royalty as principle and
governs Norway under the constitu-
tional theory that the people OF Nor
way themselves are the source Of all
power and the authority for all law in
Norway. 1t is this theory which has
been acted on in repudiating the king
Of Sweden as the chief executive Of
Norway, and If there Is intervention"
by Germany and other powers now, as
has happened before, it will be largely
for the purpose Of keeping this theory
in such check that it will not spread
beyond Norway and interfere with ex-
listing conditions in the monarchical
governments of Europe
Under Norwegian law and the exist
ing constitution the action of the Nor
wegian congress is not in literal
sense separation" from Sweden, as
the two governments We're completely
separated before in everything except
having the same king, who, as king Of
Sweden, claimed the right, always de-
MED by Norway, of acting wholly for
Norway in it's foreign affairs.
This was the point at issue in the
consular representation the king de
MED. In his view, allowing the appoint
ment Of single Norwegian consul
would have admitted its contention Of
Its own complete sovereignty. In the
Norwegian view, this sovereignty has
always existed because it is not vas
sal state or a province Of Sweden, but
sister state" with it's own govern
ment and laws distinct from those OF
Sweden and in league with Sweden
under common king for common
object. It was because the king OF
Sweden seemed to be insisting on put
ting Norway in the attitude Of a vassal