Morris tribune., 1905-03-18
SCANDINAVIAN NEWS.
items Of General Interest from
the Old World and
the New.
MINISTER THOMAS TO RETIRE
President Has Appointed Charles E.
Graves, Minnesota Man, to
Succeed Him.

Mr.. William Widgery Thomas. OF
Maine, who has for long term of
years represented the United States al
Stockholm with credit and distinction.
has not been reappointed. A few
days ago President Roosevelt ap-
pointed as his successor Mr.. Charles
e. Graves, of Minnesota. He is resi-
dent of Duluth, and president of the
Graves Manley insurance agency and
also of the Duluth Telephone company.
He is new man in the diplomatic
service, but one in whom the president
reposes implicit confidence. Mr.. Thom-
as, the retiring minister, has held the
post at Stockholm since 1880. with the
exception of the three years from 1891
to 1897, making twenty-one years of
diplomatic service in the same coun-
try, record seldom attained. He
enjoys great popularity among the
Swedish people on both sides of the
Atlantic, is an ardent admirer of the
Northland, close student of the
Swedish people and their literature.
The chief literary results of his So
journ there are translation Of Ryd
berg's great novel, 'The Last Athen-
ian." and voluminous original work
entitled Sweden and the Swedes.' .
Mr.. Thomas wife is native Stock.
holman, and he himself is now al
most fully acclimated Swede. Only
a few weeks ago, it is remembered.
from Swedish-Americans by purchas-
ing the Swedish building at the st.
Louis exposition and donating 1t to the
Bethany college, an institution main
tanned by them at Lindsberg, Kan.
A press dispatch of a few days be
fore, predicting the event, mentioneu
Fridtjof Nansen as the most likely
man in Norway to be entrusted with
the delicate task of forming a cabinec-
capable of withstanding the present
strain. Nansen is a pronounced Leftisr
He has taken up the cudgels for Nor.
wegian independence in number of
articles recently published in Verdens
Gang and other prominent Journals.
The immediate reason for the retire
ment of the Hagerup ministry is
sought in a personal message sent by
the crown prince regent to the stortn-
ing committee without submitting it t.
the cabinet. The message read as fol.
lows: '.In these critical times feel
it my duty to exhort your committee
carefully to safeguard the national in
terests of Norway whatever action
you may take That is, in my opinion
the safest basis Of the union between
Sweden, and therefore earnestly pray
you not to advise any policy tending
to bring on a rupture between the
brother nations" The Norwegian gov
ernment seems to have strongly re.
sented this pronunciamento. whether
or not it precipitated the crisis. 1t is
pointed out as a breach of political
traditions, there being only one known
instance where the ruler of the United
Kingdoms, has transmitted an official
document concerning Norway without
first obtaining the sanction of the Nor
wegian ministry The committee in
question consists of nineteen members
of the storthing, is entrusted with the
task of formulating a new consular
policy. The latest dispatch states thar
it has decided, by vote of Is to 8, to
recommend a separate consular sys
tenn for Norway to go into effect in
April. 1906.
Prince Gustaf Adolph, eldest son of
the-crown prince and regent, whose
betrothal to Princess Victoria Patricia
Of Connaught has just been announced.
is the first of the Swedish princes to
choose for his spouse a daughter of
England and thereby effecting bond
Of union between the reigning families
OF Sweden, Norway and Great Brit
ain. the princess being niece of King
Edward VII. 1t might be of interest
to know that the young Swedish prince
he is now % years of age-had no
less formidable rival then Alphonso,
XIII, '.the boy king of Spain, who
has; now attained manhood !. That
royal suitor seems to have taken his
defeat philosophicaliy, for we are told
that he is already trying his fortune
with the Archduchess Gabrielle. of
Austria.
The attention Of the humane society
Of Gothenburg has been directed to a
revolving form Of cruelty to animals
practiced quite generally. on the ives.
coast. 1t appears that many natives.
in carrying live sheep by boat from
pasture to market, are in the habit OF
breaking the legs of the animals in or
der to prevent them from jumping out
Of boats or otherwise making trouble
for the shippers. This brutal prac-
tiee. which is said to attain along thu
Norwegiaa coast as we'll. will have the:
close attention-of the Humane society
during the coming season. and every
such crime discovered will receive de
served punishment
The cabinet crisis expected as re
suit of the failure of the consular me-
gOtiati0ns a month ago, matured last
week, when first the Leftist ministers
Nicholson and Schionning resigned. on
Tuesday, and the remainder of the cab
met the following day. 1t is stated
r. -