Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-25
NORWAY AND SWEDEN
Status of the Situation Re-
viewed in London.
SURPRISE TO BRITISH
OPINION IN ENGLAND THAT DIS
SOLUTION WILL FOLLOW.
Retrospect of the Long Union Of Two
Nations and Comparison Made
With Scotland.
SURPRISE TO BRITISH

has come as a great surprise here, even to
| those who were following events in the
! former country. OF course. it has been gen.
| orally known that there would be some SER
| ious results from the trouble and discomfort
which has existed SO long In Scandinavia.
| but 1t was not thought that the end would
come with such suddenness or that 1t would
| take the form Of independence. 1t was
| thought that King Oscar, having refused
his sanction to the consular law, would
| have been given opportunity of recon-
| sidering the matter. But apparently the
Norwegian parliament knew that King Os-
| car was not likely to alter his decision and
consequently 1t was its duty to lose no time
| In appointing a provisional government.
Such a solution to the difficulty created
| by King Oscars refusal to accept the resig-
nation of the Norwegian ministry, which
| followed from his veto of the consular law,
was inevitable and unavoidable. No con-
stitutional monarch can Indefinitely refuse
| to accept the resignation of a ministry and
| II king persisted in his refusal time
would come when ministers would have to
consider themselves relieved from their
| functions. AS within the limits of the
present Norwegian constitution neither the
king nor the government nor the govern
ment without the king could administer the
affairs of Norway, there would no longer
exist any means of conducting public af
ldlTS IN tI1S event Cnc next step TO De
taken by the storthing-the only constitu-
tional body in Norway competent to act
would be to empower the government to
continue In office and to exercise the pow
ers hitherto vested in the sovereign. The
moment this step taken the king would
cease to exercise any function in Norway,
and the union with Sweden, which is based
upon the existence of a common sovereign,
would be automatically dissolved
The Norwegian Situation.
1t is hard to say what will happen now.
In their address to the king the paria-
ment asked him If he will recommend a
prince of the House of Bernadotte to the
Norwegian throne. The king is not at all
likely to do this, and although there is an
eligible Danish prince, it is not likely that
he would accept the throne if 1t were Of
fered him. The probabilities that Nor
way, which is a very democratic country.
will adopt the republican form of govern
ment. But until some action is taken by
the king he ignores the matter beyond
the formal protest he has sent, nothing
will be done.
Whatever else may happen, there is not
the least likelihood that Sweden will try
to coerce Norway back into the union by
force of arms. The Swedish press and pub
lie are united in protesting against any
warike measures, and the fact that Nor
way is in excellent defensive position
may have restraining influence on those
Swedes who would like to war declared
against Norway. To understand the situa-
ton that has arisen it is necessary to re-
capitulate the recent history of the two
countries. By the treaty of Kiel in Janu-
airy, 1914. Norway was ceded to the King
of Sweden by the King of Denmark. The
Norwegian people, however, did not recog-
nize the cession, and declaring themselves
independent elected the Danish Prince
Christian King of Norway.
Sweden at that time was not disposed to
take this assertion of Norwegian independ-
cree as coolly as it will probable take it
now, and Swedish troops We're moved into
the country The foreign powers too, re-
fused to acknowledge the new-elected
king, and in August of the same year the
two parties concluded the Convention of
Moss, by which the independence of Nor
way, in union with Sweden, was solemnly
proclaimed
Preserved It's Parliament
But although united under the same
king, like Scotland and England, Norway
unlike Scotland, has preserved its own par
Lament. 1t has separate army and navy
a separate church, a separate legal system,
and separate fiscal policy The legisla-
tive power is vested in the storthing
great court, but the king possessed the
right of veto over laws passed by the
storthing, although only for a limited
period. The royal veto might be exercised
twice, but If the same bill passed three
storthings formed by separate and subse-
quent elections, it became the law of the
land without the assent of the sovereign
1t is important 10 remember this limitation
in connection with the present crisis
The Norwegian constitution has been
highly eulogized for it's liberal and demo-
cratic character. 1t is based on the as
sumption that the will of the people must
prevail, and the only checks which are
provided are such as Will prevent hasty
legislation. Norway has no MOBILES The aris-
tocracy was abolished shortly after the union
Accordingly, the storthng, parliament,
consists of one chamber only being the only
single-chamber legislature in Europe ex-
cept that of Greece. So keen though. is
the desire of self governing people to have
legislation submitted to a double cosidera-
ton that kind of second chamber has
been formed within the storthing itself
The III members of the assembly elect
from among their own number q select
| committee of twenty eight. which goes by
the name of the lagthing. or law assembly
The remainder of the storthing Is known
as the Odelsthing. The odelsthing orig
proves amends or rejects. If it decides on
rejection 1t sends the bill back to the
odelsthing with memorandum of its OBJ
jections Should a second rejection fail to
make the bill satisfactory to the Iagthng,
the two sections of the national assembly
meet in a joint sitting, and the measure
which has been banded about from one sec
ton to the other must secure a two-thi
ma jority II 1t is to pass.
The Swedish Constitution.
Inc SWeoish CONSTITUTION prescribed that
the king should transact diplomatic affairs
in special council of state, and 1t is easy
to see how. under the circumstances. the
Swedish foreign minister came to be re-
garded as foreign minister for both coun-
tries, though the Norwegians have never
formally sanctioned this view. Not until
1885 was any recognition made of the right
of Norway to be consulted. In that year a
royal ordinance provided that when the
Diplomatic affairs of Scandinavia or of Nor
way alone were being discussed a Nor
wegian minister should be present The
concession was one of form rather than of
substance, for the Norwegian representa-
| tive was always in a minority.
Norway continued to be dissatisfied. and
| Its discomfort became intense when Swe-
| den, in 1885. made change in its consti-
| tuition. which increased its ministers in the
council of state foreign affairs to three.
The Swedes themselves saw that this ir-