Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-12
POLITICS IN SWEDEN.
Despite Recent Reversals, Liberals,
Under Staaff's Leadership, Stick to
Franchise Reform Program.

Franchise Reform Program.
The present political situation is
perhaps not quite as simple nor the
outlook quite as bright for the Liberal
party as it was a year ago. 1t is not
to be understood that there can be
any doubt about the ultimate solution
of the franchise question, but the
party has met with some reverses
and when the riksdag meets in Janu-
airy, few weaklings on it's right wing
may desert to the Conservatives. Add
to this that the Social Democrats, now
fourteen in number, under certain
circumstances will vote against the
Liberal party, and it will be under
stood that there is hard fight in
sight for Mr.. Staff, when next ses-
sion he takes his place as the Leader
of the opposition in the second cham
Der.
A few words will suffice to make
clear how this has come about. When
the first chamber threw out the Liber-
al franchise bill last session and Mr..
Staff and his colleagues had to re-
sign on account of the kings refusing
to dissolve parliament, the more rad
ical spirits in the Liberal party and
the whole Socialist party insisted that
the moderate franchise proposal or
Mr., Staff was done with, that the
next franchise proposal must be OF a
far more radical nature and that the
most important change necessary was
to make the first chamber different
from beginning to end, or If possible,
better still, make an end Of it. The
first chamber was the enemy.
The Liberal Platform.
7 don't think that there are many
radicals in this country who would not
willingly and with great pleasure take
part in the reconstruction Or destruc-
ton of the first chamber, but the prac-
teal politicians have to reckon with
possibilities and not wishes. There
fore. Mr.. Staff and his colleagues
have taken rs their platform the same
franchise proposal which they placed
before the riksdag last session and
which then passed the second cham
Der with majority Of Al votes and
was rejected by the first chamber by
an enormous majority. Mr.. Staff
knows the situation in parliament,
which does not necessarily or exactly
conform to the feeling in the country,
and he knows that some of the guar
antees added to his proposal were
necessary to get the more moderate
spirits of the party to accept it. To
make a speedy solution more difficult
by adding such far-reaching measure
as the ending or mending of the first
chamber seemed to him unwise.
The radical wing of the Libo~al
party and the Socialists also wants to
include woman suffrage, which would,
in the4present state of affairs, make
matters still more difficult. The prin-
cipal champion of woman suffrage is
Mr.. Lindhagan, burgomaster of Stock
holm, a member of the Liberal party
and a very prominent politician. Dur
ing the campaign-for there has been
a lot Of speechmaking in the country
this autumn-he has taken a decided
stand for woman's rights and also in
sisted that the coming franchise pro-
posal must be more far reaching than
the last.
The Socialists have the fundamen-
tai lines of their proposal already laid
down. It is universal suffrage for
men and women of Il or over, and
such far-reaching change in the
first chamber that it amounts to MAX
ing it almost only consulting body.
The Lindman Proposal.
The present cabinet of Mr.. Lind
man, which took over the government
after Mr. Staff, is still working hard
on it's solution of the franchise prob
lem Tt will, of course, include a sys-
tenn of proportional representation
less intended to keep control from the
masses. But, at the same time, Mr..
Lindman has promised to make a pro-
posal for changing the constitution OF
the first chamber. This is especially
intended to estrange the Social Dem
ocrats from the Liberals. I doubt.
however, that this proposal will be of
such a radical nature that he will be
able to catch any votes in that way.
If heEshould try to sacrifice the power
of the first chamber only to be able to
carry through his measure in the sec
ond chamber, he could not get the
first chamber with him, as he could
not very well expect the senate to
sign it's own death warrant.
Liberal Losses in Bye-Eiections.
My own idea is that it is only bluff
intended to catch votes at bye-elec-
tions. So far it has succeeded A
couple of weeks ago we had two bye
elections in Stockholm, one for sue
cession to member who had died,
and one for member who had been
our first minister to Japan. Both
took place on the same day. In the
latter constituency, which is practi-
cally a workman constituency, there
was a Liberal and Socialist candi-
date. In the other constituency,
Onto Him.
THAT was Miss Richley who just