The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-03
BY $. c. HAMMER. specla
Christiania, Norway, Nov. Is.

You the cable will have informed you
Of the final result of which no one is
in doubt, altho the republicans have
made up their minds to reduce the ma
jority. -
It was at the end Of October that the
storthing by 81 votes against 20, passed
the proposal by which the government
was empowered to invite Prince Karl
Of Denmark to ascend the vacant
throne of Norway on the condition that
the people by a referendum on Nov. IL
4 and 13 gave it's assent. This new refer
endum has been the pivot Of the discus
sion among all ranks Of society ever
Ssince. Public speakers have flooded the
country from the frontier districts in
southeast to far up in the north. In
sChristiania there have. been regularly at
least five meetings every night for the
last two weeks and in Bergen and
Drontheim two or three. The popula-
stion Of the small towns along the
Christiania ford and in the nearest in
land districts has been invited to pub
1ic meetings two or three times week,
and last Sunday halls were emptied and
filled several times during the evening
in several places.
Members Of the government and the
storthing, lawyers, teachers, journalists,
business men, clergymen, doctors, en-
gineers and others have appeared on
the platform, for in Norway every one
as capable Of talking politics-even if
he is capable of nothing else. The
Journals have contained nothing but
leading articles, manifestos and reports
from meetings and announcement Of
new meetings where new information
was to be had on the important ques-
l. T. IL, se%r
well as republicans have been working
under high pressure which rivals some
of the most agitated periods within the
memory Of living men. j.
Discussion Practical.
Looking at the discussion impartially,
1T cannot be denied that it has evaded
the temptation to degenerate into bar
zen academic discussion on monarchy or
Tepublic. On the contrary the discus
sion has taken decidedly nractical
turn. The public speakers as well as
the papers have treated the question on
the basis Of the actual political situa-
ton and backed up their views by argu-
ments fetched from our national devel-
opment, our political and social institu.
fStions, the present position Of trade and
Industry, ETC. This. proves better than
anything that our nation has adopted
monarchy only from practical reasons
and even the monarchists have assured
us that the new monarchy was only a
stage Of transition to the republic and
that in case Of the invitation to Prince
Karl being refused by the nation, all
parties would rally under the banner
of the republic.
The reason why this question of mon
sarchy or republic has arisen at all is
more interesting, as it throws light
Jon things which have been practically
sunknown to the general public until the
present discussion. This applies espe
scially to the events in connection with
June z, from which it is necessary tt
start.
New Revelations. .
AS will be remembered, the storthing
by the decision on that date, committed
the Norwegian government to ECKER
soise the power vested in the king b,
+ the constitution and other laws will
the alterations necessitated by thu
union with Sweden under one common
king having been dissolved and th'
king having ceased to function as Nor
wegian king; This resolution was
passed unanimously. In the subsequen
address the storthing made the famous
4sBernadotte offer' which some TIM
ago was refused by King Oscar, afte
r She had pleased to keep us waiting TO-
AN answer for nearly five months. L
was this address which was passed il
the storthing by 112 votes to 5.
The question now is: Is this deci
sion Of June and the address to Kin,
Oscar two isolated facts or is there al
organic connection between them whicl
stamps both Of them with a common
principle. In the former case June j
made US entirely free with regard t
sour future form Of government If tn
Bernadotte offer was refused; in tn
latter case the monarchy continued t
exist as Norway's form Of government
independent of the fate of the Berns
dotte offer until king was agai
elected.
On this entirely national platform
which has nothing to do with the theori
tical question of monarchy and republic
ian important part of the battle ha
been fought. It has been asserted b
| members Of the government, anon
them Mr.. Nicholson and Mr.. Loevlant
shat it has never been intended to dro
the monarchical principle and Nj
/ Berner has emphasized the same stano
point. On the other hand it has bee
asserted by the leaders of the oppos
etion, that in the secret night meetin
sof June 6, when King Oscar was de
posed and the union with Sweden di!
Solved, sixteen speakers rose in defenc
of the republic without opposition frol
any member within the assembly, Will
The premier himself expressed hi
/ assent to the view that the natio
should be unbound if the Bernadott
1 offer was refused. In the same COZ
aection it may also be mentioned tina
5Gunnar Knudsen, minister Of fnanc,
who also was of the opinion that th
1 nation stood free, has resigned offic
1 and joined the opposition in the fgh
for the republican event which ha
quite naturally been much discussed
A Sign Of Contradiction.
For my own part / have never bee
I'm doubt as to this question. From whs
u have heard and read in the publ
Hdiscussionl as well as from private col
sversations / have been more and MOI
confirmed in the view that the Bern'
sdotte offer was only question {
secondary Importance sort of
roller to make the decision Of June
glide off more smoothly, tho it W;
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