The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-09
TIE NORWEGIAN CRISIS.

: Is the out growth of discomfort that has
existed in Norway ever since the union
IN 1914, and has been especially strong
s during the last thirty years. According
to the act of the union between Sweden
and Norway, each remained an indie
pendent kingdom with its own parlia-
: nent. army and ministry, except in the
case of the minister Of foreign affairs,
& who acted for both countries. The two
Z had nothing in common so far as gov
erument was concerned except the ruler
and the foreign service.
The question OF the consuIs is at the
bottom Of the present trouble. With
: Sweden, d pTotectiOnist country, and
Norway, a free trade country, both
s represented by the same set of cOnsuls,
I It is easy to understand that the foreign
+ service could not wen be satisfactory
Z TO both countries. The Norwegians have
4 conteuded that the foreign service has
i been operated to their disadvantage.
T and feeling has been high for a num- |
4 her Of years. Recently the Norwegian F.
j parliament passed an act for separate |
Consuls, which King Oscar refused to /
sign This action was followed i'm |
mediately by the resignation of the
Norwegian ministry. The kings veto
power is limited and the act would have
become law in Norway without his
signature when passed twice more by
the Norwegian parliament. The issue
was precipitated, however, by the &C
ton of the Norwegian parliament in
declaring Norway free and independent
OF the Swedish king.
Objection was made to the plan Of
having two sets of consuIs on the
ground that If would be embarrassing !
for the minister of foreign affairs TO |
have under him two sets of consuls |
representing opposite national policies /
To meet this objection it was sug-
gested that a separate minister of for 1
eign affairs should be appointed for 1
IS Norway. but this brought a further en- 4
baTTassment because il would involve a !
separate diplomatic service and would 1
give the king two ambassadors to each /
country where he now has but one and |
endless complications were predicted.
The king refused to accede to the de
I-and for separate consuIs and the Nor
wegian parliament remaining equally
firm, the revolt was the natural out
come of the situation.
Sweden and Norway, especially the 7
latter, have had a picturesque history
ever since the days Of the vikings. Nor
ways national history begins in So /
when Harold Fairhair united the vari-
Gus petty Kingdoms into one govern
ment, which became d great state under /
the rule OF the Fairhair line. The male /
line became extinct with the death Of (
Haakon in 1919. Haakon was succeeded /
by his grandson. Magnus Snek OF /
Sweden. who ruled both countries un- 1
til 1885, when Norway again became 4
nominally Independent under Snek's /
son. HaakOn VI. During his reign Nor /
way lost about one-third of its popula- |
ton through a pestiIence. which ap- /
peared 70 kill the Norwegian spirit for 1
years afterward. Haal1on married a /
Danish princess and their son, Olaf, /
was elected king of Denmark and on |
the death Of his father became king of !
Norway also, to be succeeded as ruler /
Of the two countries by his mother. |
Queen Margaret. who survived him. In |
1897 Margaret effected a union with !
Sweden, thus bringing the entire Scan |
dinavian race under her rule This |
time II was Sweden that revolted in I
1923. but Denmark and Norway re- |
NAMED united until 1914 Norway suf- |
fered as a result OF the union with Den |
mark. being treated virtually as a prov |
ince. It's awakening came after Sweden |
had demanded Norway as reward for |
participating in the alliance against
Napoleon. Frederick VI Of Denmark
yielded TO the demand and coded Nor
way to Sweden, but the NOrweg ians re-
fused to be ceded and declared their in |
dependence on April 10. 1914 and adop-
ted a free constitution or May Il Of the
same year. Prince Christian Frederick
Of Denmark was elected king Berna-
dotte. crown prince Of Sweden. a
Frenchran and formerly one of NapO-
Icons marshals. endeavored by force of
arms TO subdue Norway. but failed. An
armistiee was declared and Bernadotte
agreed to accept the Norwegian consti- |
tuition If Norway would unite with
s Sweden under one king. AS Christian
s Frederick had proved a failure as king
Of Norway, the NOTwegians agreed to |
a union with Sweden on condition that
the equality Of Norway should be fully
Recognized and the union was consum
mated on these terms November 4. |
4 1sl4 Oscar II. the present king, be
longs to the Bernadotte line.
The union has never been wholly sat
sfaetory TO the Norwegians, who have
: always contended that Norway's rights |
have not been properly respected A |
noticeable fact in connection with the |
Norwegian attitude is that Norway has |
never asked for the elevation Of a Nor
wegian throne. BernadOtte. the Swede, |
yas accepted by the Norwegians in |
1si4 and in the present instance the |
Norwegian storthing expresses a will |
sngness to elect TO the Norwegian /
throne one Of the Swedish princes on
condition that be reiinquish his rights /