Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-07-01

News Gathered In the Father.
land and Elsewhere.

+ f. !. j. 4. + i. !. i. i. + !. i. j.
I. SWEDEN. ~ +
i. + f. j. /. !. + !. i. !. !. i. + !. + i
Says the Review Of Reviews: The
interest shown in the election for |
members of the Swedish riksdag was
extraordinary. We have already
pointed out in these pages the excite
ment over the popular fear Of Russia
and the parliamentary crisis with the
king which followed. The total vote
cast was $4,000. representing an in.
crease Of 156, 000~v votes since the regu.
lar elections of 1911 and about three
fourths of the total body of enfran-
chised citizens. On the part of the
Conservatives, in particular, the cam
paign was intensely bitter. One of
It's most characteristic features was
the attitude assumed by them toward
the king. Openly this was expressed
by the slogan: Leave the king out
side!". What it meant, however, was
something like this: If you agree
with the king, you can use him as
much as you please; If you disagree
with him, you must not mention him
at ALL" This is another point of COM
munity between the Conservatives of
Sweden and England, The outcome
was pretty much what had been ex-
pected. The Conservatives, naming
themselves for this special occasion
the Defense Comes First" party,
made decided gains, but will, never
theless, remain in a minority as long
as the radical alliance-i. e., between
Liberals and Sociahsts-lasts The
party grouping In the new lower house
will be: Conservatives Sc "a gain of
22); Liberals II "a loss of BY; So
cialists 70 "a gain of 81. In the old
riksdag the radical majority was 102;
| in the new one it will be So. 1t must
also be noticed that the Conservative
group--it can hardly be called a par
ty in our sense-is the least homo
geneous of the three, and the most
uncertain on all questions but one.
An analysis of the popular vote shows
that all three parties increased their
actual vote, but that the two extreme
parties attracted an overwhelming
majority of those voters who, under
ordinary circumstances, might have
stayed away from the polls. The two
radical parties cast 62.5 per cent of
the total vote, this being a reduction
of only 6.3 per cent since the previous
election. The upper house was not
dissolved. There the party grouping
is as follows: Conservatives sixty
eight, Liberals forty-nine, Socialists
thirteen-with Conservative major
ity Of only six. The members of this
house are elected by the provincial
legislatures and elections for these
bodies took place almost simultaneous.
ly with the elections for the lower
house of the riksdag. The outcome
was that the Conservatives. gained
fifteen members in all those bodies;
the Liberals lost fifty. and the So
cialists gained fifty-two. II the up
per house were to be dissolved and
q new one were to be elected by the
newly elected provincial legislatures
it would mean a loss of two Conser-
vatives, a loss of five Liberals, and
gain of seven Socialists in all
likelihood that branch of the riksdag
will stay as it is until the regular
elections in the fall. This means
that, in joint session, the radical al
lance has a majority of fifty-two;
and this again means that the extreme
military demands are doomed unless
a split takes place In the Liberal
party.
| f. !. +
A new factor, says the Western
American, of Importance in European
politics consists of the active alliance
of the smaller nations to maintain
their neutrality. Negotiations are in
progress among Holland, Switzer-
land, Denmark and Sweden and that
they will ultimately include Norway
and Belgium is evident. They con-
template an entente with the provi-
sion that in the event of any small
nations being attacked by a large
! nation all the other members of the
alliance will attack the aggressor. AS
the small nations of Europe have a
combined force almost as large as
that of Russia or Germany, such an
entente would result, it is contended,
in the safety of the minor nations.
Heretofore these have felt that their
security lay in the jealousy of the
powers, but ever since Japan became
a world factor Holland has been In
terror of losing her colonies Sweden
also has been and is in fear of Russia
Holland had about decided to build
five dreadnoughts, which would have
become the nucleus of a new small
nations navy, when it was decided to
postpone action until England could
determine which was to be the war
ship Of the future-the dreadnought
! or the submarine. It is not expected
that such an entente as that In view
can be completed or officially an.
nOunced for some time to come.