Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-03-22
SCANDINAVIAN NEWS
stems of General Interest from
the Old World and
the New.
AMERICANS AND NOBEL PRIZE
Popular Vote To BE Taken to Ascer.
tain Whom They Look Upon as
Their Great Men.

The following editorial appeared in
q recent issue of the Chicago Tribune
and will certainly interest Scandinavia
ans generally in this country: alfred
Il. Noble, the Swedish inventor ana
philanthropist who died i'll 1896, left
a fund of 0O0-reduced by tax
alton TO $S,400, Goethe annual interest
on which he directed should be divided
yearly into five equal parts and gwen
as prizes to the persons who Q) had
made the most important invention or
discovery in physics; (2) had made the
most important improvement or dis
covery in chemistry; 81 had made the
most important discovery in physiology
or medicine; a. had produced in litera-
ture the most distinguished Work OF
an idealistic tendency; (5) had most or
best promoted the fraternity OF ma
lions or the worlds peace. -Four DIS
tributions of the Nobel prizes have Ia
ken place. They have been conferred
upon Germans, Dutchmen, Frenchmen,
Englishmen, Swedes, Danes, Russians,
Norwegians, Spaniards. The academies
of Sweden and the Swedish storthing,
which make the awards, seem not to
have been Influenced by any national
sympathies or antipathies. Yet there
is not an American name in the list
of recipients. Has America no men
worthy to rank with the foremost in
the fields of science and literature!
Are there no Americans among the
leaders in the cause of peace? Ii
there are, who are they? And why
are they not given due recognition!
The New York Independent does not
believe the United States lags behind
all the leading countries of Europe in
the production of genius. 1t thinks
one reason why no great Americans
have been awarded Nobel prizes is
that their countrymen have not vigor-
ously pushed their calims. The people
of European countries conduct or
ganized and systematic campaigns for
Nobel prizes every year. Americans
ought to do likewise. AS starter The
independent will take a popular vote
to ascertain whom Americans look on
as their great men. Such vote, IL
OF any size, will be interesting. 1t
would be unpatriotic to question the
existance in this country Of scientists.
fdealists, and workers for peace whose
abilities and usefulness deserve recogn-
lion. What is desired is to know how
the suffrage of tolerably well Informed
Americans will be divided among their
fellow countrymen who are prominent
I'm the fields of action which have been
named When the ballots have been
cast the next step will be to compare
the names on them with those of the
eminent foreigners who have received
Nobel prizes and to decide unin-
fuenced by national prejudices wheth-
er Americans have been passed over
because of their modesty IN not press
ing their claims. or because the for
eigners were more deserving"
The following extract from an edi-
forial in the Scandal, dated March II,
will give readers an idea Of the
strained relations between Sweden
and Norway, viewed principally from
a Norwegian standpoint: ''The ex-
PLANTATION of Mr.. Bostrom's position
can only be found in the interior pol
ftics of Sweden and the reactiOnary
tendencies Of the upper house, the
first chamber of the Swedish riksdag.
While ever the suffrage law for the
second chamber dates from the
&c cot 70 thot
with the second chamber alone Norway
might speedily reach an agreement.
But since the 'communique' Of aMrch,
1903, was agreed upon, Mr. Bostrom
has gone back to his first love and
has thrown himself into the arms Of
the first chamber, the nobility, the
bishops and some few elected mem
bers, the suffrage for members of this
chamber being limited to the money
class on graded scale accorded to in
come, thus that In many election dis
tricts the mill or mine owner by his
own votes elects the representative.
And the dignitaries in this house of
lords have always feared contagion
from the democratic spirit of Norway.
H Is SdIe W Stdle llldt NOTWay VIII
never yield to Mr.. Bostrom's demands;
all political parties stand now united,
the only question being what to do.
The Hagerup ministry resigned be-
cause they were going to slow, and
seemed willing to wait while public
opinion demands establishment of sep
arate consuls by law. On the other
hand public opinion in Sweden is very
much divided, many liberal politicians
and newspapers recognizing the rights
of Norway. II Is stated that other
members of lbs cabinet sided with
Messrs. Lagerheim and Husberg, but
that Mr.. Bostrom whipped them into
line. The crownprince regent on
former occasion talked about a mill
tary promenade to Christiania with
.he Swedish army; but since then he
may have profited by England's eX-
oerience in Transvaal. And as TO his
reckoning upon assistance from some
European power, Norway is believed
90 have as many friends in Europe as
Sweden and perhaps few to spare.
However, ii is time enough to tSik