The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-26
'GRAVECR|S|Ss hIGH|'
IN 0SCAR:'S ( (. \ |: n
Illness 81 Scandinavian King
Likely toS Precip itatt,cs u, Inter, ter (
necit1e Quarrel.
IN RW1AY''s AS PR /; q I IONS
Seeks Freedom, Butts More l, Like :,.
ybe&Absorbed I'M North
ETH Empire.
5sT.,o. I. 4 z, .Feb. Is.

= n -ETT .f llN
Tho serious illness Of King Oscar OF
Z gwcden occurs at d time of I national
crisis In his dual klngdcm. which may
4 have considerable European. slgnincarce.
Z a In tho year 1902 the Eorweg clan stor-.
n thing passed a resolution II favor OF cree
nting foreign consulntes Of tta own, at
present ambassadors and consuls repre-
senting both Sweden and Norway.
i Indeed, the King and the Foreign Of
ncc arc the only Joint sinsttutionso OF the
4 two parts ~ King Oscars dominlons. In
1916, 4 Norway, which for four centuries
Il had been united 10 Denmark, was Joined
I to Sweden no the result Of g treat y signed
II 1T kiel the year previous. y
$ Each country lined Its own govern
ment, Parliament, army. navy and GUS
toms. and in 1897 \ N orWay obtained the
right TO ~ its own ma tioral hag. III XIII
SSs8 The agitation begun thirteen years ago
y for separate consular representation was
obviously a mater OF great difficulty and
y delicacy. and though King Oscar and the
1 swedes have practically accepted the
y principle, the neg tiatlons have fallen
4 through, and tho Norwegian 4 Minister OF
Il State announced on Thursday that q
81 deadlock existed II proposals and counter
II prop osals being rejected by the two gov.
erlments hi 8S Il S.
Posi- bic Result 4.
It Is not Impossible that the result may
!lbe q war OF sindcpendencc, The NorWegians
domnndlng m entirely independent inter
ma tlonal stcIce. 55 5l$
Norway Is essentially a 4 land OF free
Y dem. ItaI psople have ever clnce5 the union
9Iheer, impatient Of monarchical \ Indffer-
crice and ca ger for democratic reform.
3 Owing perhaps TO this spirit OF sindepend-
ence, tho country has thriyen CONNER
rs cially, while In literatpr Norway has
Fl given f. new lead to general thought. the
great European Influences of the last
z quarter Of II century being found In Ib-
~ sen, 3 ornsen and Lie. l$s sFg I'LL
It Is not strange that such a people
i should be ca ger to stand alone, but OUT
VI side scirciimst es make tho G fort pre- v
y artous.S NJ 4,
4sS58 Tho construction Of railway from the
s!Gulf Of Bothnia to The lce-free port on
utility OF Northern Sweden and Norway
to the Russian empire. Such nport would
81 be Of 9incalcutnble strategic advantage to
Russia, end there is no question that fear
Il OF Russian q gression Is always spres sent
A In the mind OF Swedish F. ign M nisters
-
ss55 Russian Inter ference.
M NorwaySis less Russophobe Ut Is curious
how tho Car dazzles free peoples), but
the outside observer cannot fail to recog-
81 .iize the advantage to Russia that would
ensuc from a break-up OF the dual mon
4 nrchy, or to doubt that Russia IS secretly
fomenting the agitatio Ion. S ~
The day Of distinct and separate small
lnationnlities Is over. irilc as is the LIE
e Of modern Norwa y. the facts remain that
II her population is under 5000. 900 and her
army only 80. 900. Such country cannot g
stand alone .5f s 81 ssh ss
The ideal that would be welcomed BY
\ England as a protection against the e.
erosion both OF Russia and q Germany
would be tho construction OF scandina-
Il Wan empire. made up Of Denmark. sWe-
den and Norway, cach z an & indepe A
sovereign country. united for mutual pro- :
Il lection. Vs. III ..s33 /: !,
such scheme has long been "a yocated
a BY the Swedish Grown Prince. and may
even nov. be realized m INA * : IN, Z