The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-06-17
lNDIVISIBLE union
KING OSCAR DENIES RIGHT OF
NORWAY TO SECEDE.
Declares That Question Is one Tor
Himself and Sweden to Decide.
Foreign Consuls Instructed to
ignore the Secession Declare
fiOn OF N0rway.

~ 40O4O0AS OUTFIT, u tu0 NUT
wegian storthing.
He declares that the accession oath
OF Norway's king makes it the kings
duty not to pass over in silence the
preferment OF the Norwegian council
OF state on the occasion of his males
tvs veto Of the consular bill. The
king maintains that he did not over
step his prerogatives under the consti-
tuition and says that consideration Of
the union imposes on the king the duty
OF exercising his constitutional rights.
'The king Of Norway he adds,
must always bear in mind paragraph
l Of the Norwegian constitution,
Quotes Constitution.
+" The kingdom Of Norway is free,
autonomous, independent and indivis-
ible.'
81 feel myself justified in demanding
respect for the decision taken by the
king of Norway In accordance with
the constitution. The powers which
the constitution places at the disposal
OF the Norwegian king in order to en-
able him to promote the welfare of the
country according to his convictions
are no greater than those which must
he reserved to the monarchy united
with Sweden under one king"
After lengthily repudiating the dec
veto was unconstitutional because no
member Of the council regarded him
self as being in position to counter
sign it, King Oscar proceeds:
Zone of the fundamental principles
Of the constitution and the fact that is
most important is that Norway shall
be a constitutional monarchy. It is
clearly incompatible Herewith that
the king sink to the position Of a mere
tool in the hands of the state council.
If the mem bers of the council Of state
by refusing to countersign any OF the
royal decisions could prevent them
from having force, the king Of Norway
would be excluded from participation
in the state administration. Such q
situation would be as degrading to the
monarch as harmful to Norway. The
position of the king as monarch of the
united kingdom Of Sweden and Norway
makes it incumbent upon him not to
prejudice, as monarch of one kingdom,
questions affecting the other kingdom.
Duty OF the Hing.
"The duty of the king on this point
cannot be reconclled with the view
that one kingdom, through the refusal
Of its council of state to append coan-
ter signature, can annul the royal
Judgment, wherein the king refuses to
give a decision prejudicial to the other
kingdom and injurious to the union.
"The Norwegian people and the Nor
wegian nation demand the right to
force the king to give decision which
in his opinion conflicts with the duty
as monarch Of the united Kingdoms,
and, therefore, the king Of Sweden
must become altogether dependent. as
regards his decisions, upon the will OF
the Norwegian nation through its coun-
oil of state.
"Such position for the kingly
power can only describe as being r.
reconcilable with the laws OF the union
laid down in the riksakt (the charter
promulgated in 1915 and being now
fundamental laws in the terms OF the
two united kingdoms be indissoluble
and 'irrevocable without prejudice to
the separate government constitution
and laws Of either Sweden or Norway
"My endeavor has always been to
rive Norway q place within the union
to which she can rightly lay claim.
Nv duty to the union requires me to
endeavor to uphold its legal basis, even
when by 30 doing ; come into opposl-
tion with the Norwegian national 1eei-
ing.
saws II Is . Question OF Duty.
.sThe law on which I took the oath
and which has regard for the welfare
Of the united kingdoms determined my
decision on the consular question, but
here was met not only by the refusal
OF the Norwegian council OF state 90
countersign that deciGon, but Dy tne
resignation Of is members. When l
declined TO accept the resignation OF the
council. it declared threateningly that
any Norwegian who co-opeFated IN car
rvinr ont my decision would at the
same moment be without fatherland.
I was Therefore plaoed II position OF
either myself breaking tho riksaks:
which IVES swofn 70 uphold, or q
reoonciling myself TO seanA wisnous
oounoil of3CeeU.