Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-15
UNION MUST BE UPHELD
Letter Is Read to the Norwegian stor-
thing and Referred to Special Com
mittee Without Any Demonstration
king Recalls Oath of Accession.

the president today and presented
to him memorial adopted by the
delegates to the Norwegian music
festival recently held ait FIT. Dodge,
Iowa, urging him to recognize the
diplomatic and consular officers
appointed by Norway. II the Pres
ident should accede to this request
it would mean a recognition of the
new government by the United
States. 1t may be several weeks
before the determination of the
question will have to be made.
Christiana, June IA. King Oscars
long letter to the president Of the Nor
wegian storthing was read in the stor-
thing this morning. The document
was referred, unanimously to special
committee without comment and the
storthing adjourned to await the COM
mittee's report There was no demon
station whatever
King Oscars Letter.
Stockholm, Sweden, June Ia. king
Oscar in his long and vigorously
worded letter to the president of the
Norwegian storthing, M. Berner, de-
clares the accession oath of Norway's
king makes it the kings duty not to
pass over in silence the pronounce
ment of the Norwegian council OF
state on the occasion of his majesty's,
veto of the consular bill. The king
maintains he did not overstep hisSper-
ogatives under the constitution H and
l.says that consideration i,ssssti union
imposes on the king the }atisy seFS Sexers
cising his constitutional rights. King
Oscar says:
"The Norwegian people and Norwe-
gian nation demand the right to force
the king to give a decision which in
his opinion conflicts with his duty as
monarch Of the united kingdom and
king of Sweden, therefore the king of
Sweden must become altogether de-
pendent, as regards his decisions, upon
the will of the Norwegian nation
through it's council of state.
| Position Is lrreconciIable.
| "Such a position for a kingly power
can only describe as being irrecon-
cilable with the laws of the union laid
down in the riksakt (the charter pro-
mulgated in 1915 establishing new
| fundamental laws on the terms that
the union of the two kingdoms be in
dissoluble and irrevocable, without
prejudice to the separate government
constitution and laws, of either Swed-
en- or Norway0
my endeavor has always been to
give Norway hat place with the union
to which she can rightly lay claim.
My royal duty to the union requires
me to endeavor to uphold it's legal
basis, even when by SO doing come
into opposition with the Norwegian
national feeling.
Took Oath to Uphold Union.
"The law on which / took the oath
and which has regard for the welfare
of the united kingdoms, determined
my decisions on the consular ques
tion, but here l was met not only by
the refusal of the Norwegian council
of state to countersign that decision
but by the resignation Of it's members
When declined to accept the resigna
tion of the council, it declared threat
eningly that any Norwegian who co
operated in carrying out my decision
would at the some moment be without
fatherland. I was, therefore, placed
in the position of whether myself
breaking the riksakt. which I was
sworn to uphold, or of reconciliatins
myself to stand without councillors.
The council, after attempting tc
violate the constitution and to render
void decision of the king of Norway
legally given, resigned the office, and
tie King of Norway was deprived ot
councillors.
!. King, Not Norway Decides.
"The storthing approved this breach
of the constitution by revolutionary
proceeding, declared the legitimate
king of Norway had ceased to reigr
; and that the union Of the two king
doms was dissolved.
; 1t remains for Sweden and for me
as king of the union, to decide wheth
er an attack by Norway on the exist
ing union shall lead to legal dissolu
ton of that union.
"Let the present generation and pos
terity judge between me and the Nor
, wegian people"