The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-09

While these two pretenderS are Doth hoping to see the monarchical system supplant the republic In France, news comes from Sweden that part of the Swedish people are tired of being ruled by king. and that if these people have their way the English princess who mar ried the Swedish crown prince will never occupy the Swedish throne
 l The other day the mayor of Stockholm and leader of the Swedish socialists. MT Carl Lindhagen, a member of the Swed- ish riksdag's second chamber, formally asked King Gustaf V to abdieate In l favor of a republic.
 The first time MT. Lindhagen brought forward his famous motion 1t was re- iected on account of it's many different demands, and that time the chamber sup ported the action of it's speaker
 But MT. Lindhagen was not satisfied with this, nor d!d he pay any heed to the angry language of the conservative pa pers. Supported by several socialist mem bers, he put forward his motion for the second time a few days later, the motion this time being divided in three clauses. The first and second clauses, which dealt with the franchise and the abolition of the old-fashioned first chamber, re- i speetively, were allowed 10 pass, but the third clause, dealing with the establish ment of a republic in Sweden, was again rejected by the speaker, who is not elect ed, but nominated by the King.
 The chamber, however, took different view and, with 126 votes against 59, re- fused to accept the action of its speaker. The question about this motion and the speakers action will now be discussed by the constitutional committee. who have to deal with all matters of this kind.
 The third clause of Mir Llndhagen's s motion runs as follows:
 That the riksdag should express itself l in principle for the abolition of the hcred- itary governing power, and for the intro duction of state government, based on l the choice of the people, and to ask the
 King to propose the alterations of the fundamental laws that the realization of such thought would require"
 l Anyone can easily imagine for himself the consternation that this proposal has brought about throughout Sweden, but particularly in conservative, in clerical and in the royallypatriotic circles. To them Mir Lindhagen, of course, stands out almost as a traitor.
 l But it is not only in the bourgeois camp that people are dissatisfied with this eral Socialists. though they agree in
 principle with MT Lindhagen, think that the motion was too early raised. Some even disagree with the clause about the abolition of the first chamber.
 This great event is not without parallels in Swedish history. In 1909. after the ans lucky war with Russia the Incompetent
 Gustav w., was dethroned by the Swed-
 ish people Only that time the Swedish people did not dare to try the republic i they chose a new King amongst Napo- | Icons generals. Nor Is it likely that MT l Lindhagen's motion, even if 1t were to be seriously discussed in the Swedish parlia- ment or riksdag. will result fin the estab- lishment of republic. But 1t is an in- teresting evidence of the spread of repub- 1 lican ideas all over the world.
 This matter becomes still more interest ing when one remembers that the motion
 was put forward by the mayor In King i Gustavs own capital. as well as that MT. Lindhagen only few years ago was one | of the most honored leaders of the Swed- l ish liberals By and by he became one of the most advanced radicals. and from radicaiism he went over to socialism. 1 One still remembers the outcry of tho
 conservative press in Stockholm when it
 became known that the mayor of the
 capital had plunged himself into rank so- eialism,
 Owing to the pressure of more impor- tant political legislation such as Welsh disestablishnent and home rule the lib- eral government finds no time to deal , with the bill against the white slave : traffic which it is proposed 10 incorporate as an amendment to the criminal law. The women of England, however, are, not going to leave the government in peace until the legislature has adopted the
 measure and new committee called the ''pass-the-bill'' committee has been formed.
 Lady Bunting. the treasurer of the committee, with whom I have just had q talk said to me that they had just been -organized and that t was rather early for her to talk of their plans yet.
 At the same time. she said. T should Ike the public to know that the committee was formed in response to na- rlerous appeals from England and Scot land Al present fl is solely a Worn arl' <