Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-12-21
important Events in Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
Interesting Items From the Three
Great Kingdoms of the North, Sc
lected for 5candinavians and
Their Descendants
BY MARTIN w. ODL AND.
Sweden.


| eminent will take the place of the
| present monurchic0i system. "The
! bulk of the population Of Sweden Is
| democratic In the extreme" he writes.
| There IL even fairly strong current
| In Sweden favoring II republican form
| Of government. Once year, regular
| ly, someone gets up in the legislature
and proposes IA republic. He Is not
| howled down. He is not hanged as
traitor. He Is not imprisoned for leSe
| majesty. To the contrary lie Is listened
to quite as though he were proposing
| the building of ii post Office mt Hapa-
randa or increasing the tax on tobacco.
| A debate follows, Il warm debate, vari-
Gus members Of the body of lawmak-
ers stating their views on the subject.
Then comes a vote and The republic IL
defeated. This shows the absolute
democracy at tie bottom of Sweden.
The United States. too, has some In
huence on the national mind, though
the ''ruling classes" would scarcely
admit 1t. The population of Sweden
outside the big Cities" Swedish edi-
tor remarked, Knows more about the
United States than they do about any
other country. And most of them know
Chicago Minneapolis, New York and
| other American cities better than they
do Stockholm. The reason for this is
| plain. Many Swedes have gone to the
| United States. They have met with
| success there. They like the country.
| SO they write home glowing accounts
| Of the great country, the cities and
| towns, and tell the folk at home how
| this and that Is done In the States.
| All this has direct influence. 1t may
not be pressing and aggressive, but 1t
Is constant. Sweden Is sure to become
u republic some day. Not because 1t
wants to copy any other nation but
| because the whole tendency of demo-
crazy Is in that direction and Sweden,
heart and soul. Is democratic. / don't
mean we are going to have Il revolu-
ton or anything like that. Nor do
mean that we are going to become a
republic next week. We will simply
evolve into a republic, do IL by vote
of the people, by consent of the ma
jority."
| W. L. Simms, an American CORE
spondent, writes of the Swedish capt.
| tai: Stockholm Is today the most cos
mopolltan city In the world, with Il
character entirely It's own. Enough
champagne Is drunk here nightly 70
float hattleshlp. Enough money Is
| spent daily to ransom king. The
drinkers are the peoples of all nations
and the spenders are not confined to
any race nor any cline. Incidentally
the American legation here Is one Of
the busiest doing business anywhere
| under the Star Spangled Banner. Min
lister Ira Nelson Morris needs keep up
full head of steam day and night
to clear the work pouring into his Of
fee. The affairs of Austria, Germany.
Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia and Rou-
mania are cleared through the lega~
ton ut Stockholm. 1t IL here that much
of the work of exchanging prisoners
| between Russia and Germany Is con-
Quoted. 1t Is here, too, that Russian
money for the relief of prisoners In
Germany Is handled and vice versa.
In few months Germany has turned
over To the legation more than So
100000 rubles for German prisoners
In Russia. Then there are the let
tiers to open, read and answer. AS
many as 132 letters came from Ger
many In one day asking for informal
ton about prisoners In Russia. Other
letters come from Swedes In America
or Americans of Swedish origin ask.
Ing for information. One man wrote
that he had heard that Swedish WON,
en- were powerfully beautiful and
| asked the minister to find him wife
to bring to America. So as the sur
. goes down lights blaze In restaurants
such us Broadway never dreamed oil
aud corks begin to fly. Sleek mer
In wide eNpanses of shirt front, beauti
ful women, manicured and aolled up
busy walters, radiant with large tips
: in prospect: subdued lights the color
/ VA tiu SDaU UT pink
the tinkle of fountains: the throbbin;
of orchestras which know enough no
TO play too loudly: flowers. CROWN,
palms, seductive perfumes. banknetes
of large denominations. laughter, eyel
with sidelong glances. This Is Stock
HOLM"
One hundred and fifty employees o
the Erickson telephone factory u
Stockholm have gone to France to uc
cept employment there at higher wage
: than they can command In Sweden
. The number of Swedish iaborers tina
seek employment I'M foreiga countrte
? has Increased rather rapidly Of late.
a terrible catastrophe took plac
! In the Aaland sea when the steamshi
Avid Of Stockholm went down In
! fierce gale. All hat four of the ere,
OF II persisted. The ship was on II
way from Stockholm to Mantyluata.