The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-16
CELEBRATE TO-DAY
 CENTENNIAL OF INDEPENDENCE

CENTENNIAL OF INDEPENDENCE
 Y ORWEGIANS in this country as well as. #1 S in the fatherland will celebrate to-day and to morrow the centenary of their 1ndepen- Hdence day. It was on the seventeenth of May EiSi4, that the Norwegian patriots issued their defiance to Bernadotte and Sweden and declar- ed Norway free and Independent nation. Ev-. Ter since that date the seventeenth of May has been Norwayss great national holiday but, as it. falls this year on Sunday, the observances will begin to-day. The actual centenary will be commemorated tomorrow in all Norwegian churches
 During the war against Napoleon, Berna- dotte, who had made himself Grown Prince of Sweden by the Emperor's aid, turned against his former master and contributed effectually to the victory of the allies. As reward for this. defection Bernadotte was permitted to wrest NorWay from it's ancient allegiance to Denmark, which he accomplished with the aid of "a Russian army corps By treaty Between Great Britain, Sweden and Denmark, signed at Kiel early in 1874, Denmark was given Pomera- mia and Rugen in exchange for Norway It
 was poor bargain, but Denmark was forced to accept fl.
 Norwe gians, almost to man, were oppos- ed to this high handed dealing with their ma tive land as a pawn in the game of internation- |al politics. The old warlike spirit of the Vik- ings stirred in their breasts and urged them to take action against this enforced linking Of their destines with those of Sweden. A Diet imposed of delegates from all over Norway was held at EidsvoId. The Diet repudiated the arrangement made by the treaty of Kiel. The Norwegians Formulated constitution of their own and invited Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark to occupy the Norwegian throne
 The Diet and the people went wild with en- thusiasm on the historic seventeenth of May. when independence was declared. When the Diet dissolved the members joined hands, form ing ring and sang in chorus United and true until Mount Dover falls.
 Norway's coast was immediately blockad- led by an English fleet, and Russian and Swe- dish armies marched to her borders. A con gress of the powers was held at Vienna to set Etle sthis and other problems and this congress Fufged the Norweeians to accept the donlination Iof Sweden The Danish King was indueeds to Esign a letter calling upon his son to resign the NorWe gian throne and return to Denmark Prince Christian refused and Norwegians ral- llied to his standard. Charles XIII personally the Swedish fleet sent against Nor spay.s.and ca blurred the fort at Frederickstad. The main Swedish army crossed the border. The Norwegian soldiers were eager for battle, but the King ordered retreat. At Lier a Swedish force was defeated, and at Matrand ICsoL krebs forced the invaders back across the ffron6er. This was the last battle of the cam lpaigns
 Tn August. at the convention of Moss, the Danish prince consented to retire, and sailed back to Denmark. The Norwegian Storthing. by vote Of 72 tos5, accepted Swedish supre- macy and elected the Swedish king as their Iruler but retained it's own constitution, diet, and cabinet By this compromise, Norway re- Emained independent except for the king, whose 1 veto power was very limited Norway contin- Iued as free, independent indivisible, and in alienabIe state, united to Sweden, until 1905. when NorWay attained full independence by a Ibloodless revolution, and elected Prince Charles of Denmark to the throne The Dan ish prince assumed the titleso Haakon VII, and has been personally popular, although the l growth Of democratic institutions in Norway has reduced tKe king to mere figurehead, with
 practically no powers The Sterthing has de- creed that in the event Of the death of the king without issue, Norway shall become republic.