Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-03-08

which he declared the constitution of
May II illegal, and in which he pro-
claimed himself king of Norway.
But Bernadotte was a wise man and
realized that Sweden was losing favor
with the powerful friends that in the
beginning had arrayed themselves
against Norway. Perhaps he was
afraid Russia might be well pleased at
continued friction between Norway and
Sweden. He began to make efforts to
gain the confidence Of the Norwegians;
representatives were sent to Norway to
Christian Frederick. Promise was
made to regtrd Norway'S constitution
as binding. Christian Frederick was
politely asked to let slip from him
executive power. A Norwegian victory
over the Swedes in battle further con-
WINGED Bernadotte Of the wisdom Of q
peaceful settlement, and an armistice
was arranged. In October a. storting
convened in Christiania; the abdica-
tion Of Christian was receiyed; it was
decided that Norway, as an independ-
ent kingdom, was to be united with
Sweden under one king, on certain
conditions" The conditions were
agreed to, and the storting, having re-
ceived notification that the Swedish
king was ready to swear allegiance to
the constitution, elected Charles XIII.
king of Norway.
The Swedish king, an old man, did
not look upon the conditional submis-
sion in the light OF great victory, As
did his people generally; it is said he
pronounced it "a union to weep over"
But Bernadotte was we'll content, hold.
ing his hand until later, when he
should be ruler in name; and i'm 1918,
under the title of Charles XIV, he be-
came king. Then he tried to take back
some of the granted rights from the
Norwegians, but the storting was de-
termined in it's resistance, and success.
full. Things went so far that the king
in 1921, assembled a naval squadron
and massed Swedish troops for the pur-
pose of intimidating the storting, but
it passed a bill for the third time over
the royal veto. Since the death of
Bernadotte the struggle has been con-
tinued between king and storting. Bit
ter feeling has been engendered by the
king calling to his assistance Swedish
people against Norwegian demands,
and by the Swedes appealing to the
king when they have wanted to outwit
Norway in some desired end. This, it
goes without saying, has not tended to
increased harmony.
Norwegian and Swede are related
politically, but as peoples they are very
different. In Norway democratic ideals
and liberalism have gained much more
Roadway than in Sweden, where the
aristocracy and "the masses" are wide
ly separated. The aristocratic class
still practically constitute the govern
ing class in Sweden; and, according to
Lenoard Stejneger, writing in the Con-
sentative Quarterly, lin this fight for
supremacy in Swedish politics the aris-
tocratic element views the continued
progress Of the Norwegian democracy
with apprehension and hatred. They
tremble lest the success OF the Nos.
wegian farmer in governing his coun
try in a modern spirit may influence
his Swedish brother to take the govern.
ment into his own hands. 1t appears
to them more advisable to fight this
tendency by trying to crush the democ-
racy in Norway than to wait for the
time when they may have to battle for
their class interests and power In
Swedish soil"
CHRISTOPHER WEBSTER.