The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-05
SWEDISH PEASANT
PARTY FOR DELAY
PETERSON, Leader of the Party,
Talks on the Norway Crisis
to The Journal.
BY w. 3. CHAMBERLAIN,
Managing Editor Of The Journal.

never laid its blight upon this country.
While the peasants of central Europe |
were reduced by its baleful influence
to degraded serfdom, those of Svea
rights and privileges. Their freedom
they never yielded. AS Sweden has |
never been conquered by foreign foe
and as the land has been inhabited by |
the race from time immemorial, it has |
resulted that the peasants of Sweden |
are among the most intelligent in |
Europe. The Swedish peasantry. has
thus always formed powerful force |
in the politics of the country.
The constitutional reforms Of 1868,
which gave Sweden her present repre-
sentative form of government, brought
to the peasants an access OF power that
has made them when united an IRE |
sistible party. At that time the four
estates-nobles, clergy, burgesses anu
commons-were abolished and the first
and second chambers Of the riksdag
took their place. The first chamber
as explained in a previous letter-was
intended to replace the house of mobiles
and is elected by town and parish coun-
ellis. It has been captured by the vested
chamber, however, has been the strong
hold of the peasants and as it absolute
" controls the budget and in case of
dispute with the first chamber always
prevails, the peasant party has been,
when we'll led, the strongest governing
force in the nation.
First Aim of Party.
The first aim Of the peasant party
after the reforms Of 1865 was the re-
had burdened the farmers for cen
turtles. After this aim had been at
tanned the peasant party was no longer
SO vitality interested, in the extension
of the suffrage as it had been. Indeed,
the lack of a definite principle to fight
for has weakened the solidarity Of the
party greatly and it has been very sell
dom of late years that the peasant
members of the riksdag have stood
together. Nor has the Norwegian
crisis quite united them. The great
the 1pdeed the @
form the backbone, of the conservative
party in the second chamber. But there
are moderate peasants and liberal peas.
ants and peasants of every shade OF
opinion.
The peasant leader in the second
chamber is Per PETERSON of Torneryd,
who comes from southern Sweden and
who has been elected vice talman CAS-
sistant speaker). His Importance is
also indicated by the fact that he was
named on the joint committee on the
crisis. Being thus officially connected
with the administration, Mr. PETERSON
has been very "shy' o.. newspaper
men and no Swedish reporter has been
able to get word out of him. l was
therefore very fortunate to secure an
opportunity for talk with the peas
ant leader in his hotel quarters near
the riksdag building:
His rooms were plain and simple al
most to the point Of baroness But on
the table were the inevitable tele-
phone. and the books and paners Of a
Af Dab,
face and manner, shows his peasant Or
man, With timutton chop" whiskers and
heavy. serious manner only occasion
ally lightened by smile. He is a
type of the educated peasant, who is
by experience in the parish council and
small public meetings, and who rises
to leadership and is finally sent to the
riksdag.
AS PETERSON Views It.
He warned me plainly at the outset
that owing to his membership on the
anV questions about it's work. All he
would say on that point was that the
committee had not yet agreed on re,
port, but seemed likely to do 50 within
q week. All he could say. about the
crisis was to tell what, in his opinion
the Swedish people Tante san den e. sett7.
the trouble without an appeal to arms
Yet 1t cannot be helped that Swede1
feels deeply insulted by the action OF
Norway in breaking the contract be
tween the two countries The union /:
not dissolved, simply because Norway
says it is; such contract cannot b'
broken by one party unless the othe-
consents. That action was entirely un
necessary Norway should have CONF
to Sweden and said, we are not salts
differences by dissolving it, Then w
could have negotiated and. settled tn
matter properly. The union has no
been Of much benefit to Sweden TO
the last ten, or perhaps the last thirt,
years,
ragged. But with reflection calme
feeling obtains Still, we feel tina
Norway as the offender must come t
Sweden and ask for a dissolution Q
the union. Then and then only can tn
tions may and Mr.. PETERSON emphs
sized the word may lead to dissol,
ton. Sweden will be very willing t
discuss the matter. But the propose
must come, in such way that it won
be an insult to Sweden
But, Mr.. PETERSON, supposing No
way insists on going her own way an
country' You say Sweden does n
want war. How then can you for,
Norway, to act as you believe 81
should9'
'tI cannot answer that question
touches too nearly the secret work
our committee. We can only hope tn
matters will eventually be arrange
peacefully and in such way as to CO
serve the welfare of both peoples, who's
interests are in many ways identical.
This evasion Of any attempt to d
fend the weak point in the conservati,
program is, perhaps, significant of TIL
party's desire to postpone a settleme
until after the September elections
Is now well known that postponeme
is the purpose of the party and NJ
Pehrson's insistence on the technic
maintenance of the union in the face
the fact that the union is really ende
is no doubt in line with that progra
No conservative has yet been able
explain how Norway is to be coerc
without war and none has yet admit
that war is possible. The formalis
and sticklers for precedent can pro
to you beyond cavil that Norway
wrong. But when you ask them hi
Norway is to be convinced and ma
contrite without the clustering effe
+ of defeat in: war, they -cannot answ
But the conservatives would like
chance to appeal to the country, hopi
r tb,,u RI sn1if 4ho 1iLoro lo 4bar Fl