Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-06-19
king OSCAR DENIES Right OF
NORWAY TO SECEDE.
Declares That Question Is One for
Himself and Sweden to Decide,
Foreign C0nSuiS Instructed 10
Ignore the Secession Declare.
ton OF Norwav.

existing union shall lead to legal dis.
solution Of that union" declares King
Oscar in long and vigorously worded
letter to President Bernar, of the Nor.
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 majes-
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
Of the Norwegian constitution,
which reads:
Quotes Constitution.
"'The kingdom Of Norway is free,
autonomous, independent and indivis.
ible.'
"Ifeel 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.
laration Of the council Of state that his
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 tho fact that is
most important is that Norway shall
be constitutional monarchy. 1t 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 a
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 fling.
"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 coun-
ter signature, can annul the royal
judgment, wherein the king refuses to
give decision prejudicial to the other
kingdom and injurious to the union.
1.-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-
Gil Of state.
"Such a position for the kingly
power l can only describe as being ir-
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
give Norway place within the union
to which she can rightly lay claim.
My duty to the union requires me to
endeavor to uphold its legal basis, even
when by go doing l come into opposi.
ton with the Norwegian national feel
ing.
Says u Is a Question Of Duty.
Tho law on which l took the oath
and which has regard for the welfare
of the united Kingdoms determined my
decision on the consular question, but
here l was met not only by the refusal
of the Norwegian council Of state to
countersign that decision, but by the
resignation of its members. When
declined to accept the resignation Of the
council, it declared threateningly that
any Norwegian who co-operated in car
rying out my decision would at the
same moment be without q fatherland
was therefore placed in position OF
either myself breaking the riksakt
which was sworn to uphold, or Of
reconciling myself to stand without
council officers.
"The council, after attempting Il
violate the constitution and to render
void a decision Of the king Of Norway
legally given, resigned Office and thu
king Of Norway was deprived Of coun
cilor. The storthing approved thu
breach Of the constitution and, BY
revolu tionary proceeding declared tn
legitimate king Of Norway had oeaset
20 reign and that the union OF the tw'
kinodoms was dissolved.
1T remains for Sweden and for m
"A king Of the union to decide whethe
the attack BY Norway on the existinl
union shall lead to the legal dissolution
Of that union"
A note has been sent to the foreig'