Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-12
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

''he Viking spirit persisted and
wanderers found their way to Amer
lea, which they found so good and
fertile-even north of the st. Law.
renee River-that they called 1t Vine
land. Explorer Macmillan Is now
seeking the relics of their settlements
in Labrador.
The Althing. in 1852, accepted the
overlordship Of the King Of Norway
without surrendering it's own sover-
eighty or the independence of the
island, as claimed by Icelanders. This
treaty with the Norwegian King led
to dispute, when later the Norwegians
|, claimed annexation of the island and
the King claimed the right to arbi-
trary rule, as Of a conquered province.
Since 1854 "tax-wolves" infested the
island and oppressed the people, who
in turn revolted and murdered their
Oppressors.
In 1889 Norway and Denmark came
under the one rule of Olaf, the Dane,
which meant extinction of Norway
as a kingdom, but merely a change
of tyrants for Iceland. No person
was permitted to trade with Iceland
mark. This covered the Icelandic
| fisheries. Then followed English
poaching and Algerian piracy, both
bringing bloodshed to the Icelanders,
with no protection from Denmark.
In 1927 Algerian pirates captured and
carried off $50 Icelanders, enslaving
them in Algiers, from which % es-
capped 10 years later.
When Frederick III became King
of Denmark he required the Iceland
ers in 1862 to sign treaty recogniz-
ing his sovereignty.
In 1884 terrific earthquake shook
Iceland. destroying many farms. This
disaster was added to a scourge of
cattle and sheep diseases, and the
Danish government, instead of COM
ing to the aid of the unfortunates,
proposed to carry all off from the is
land and colonize them on Jutland.
The Icelanders refused to go, charg-
ing the government with plot to rob
them of their homes. In their awak-
ening to self-assertion they were led
by patriot, Skull Magnusson.
Though Magnusson died in 1894. his
spirit had aroused the Althing to de-
clare for independence, resulting in
its adjustment by Denmark, only to
be re-established in 1910.
\ \ X y
During the. wave of liberalism and
revolutions throughout Europe in
lS4S, the Althing of Iceland demand
ed full autonomy, which was resist
ed by the Danish government. The
Iceland leader, Jon Sigurdsson, re-
verted to the act of 1852 claimed by
Iceland to be a voluntary pact-not
a surrender of sovereignty. The Danes
thereupon dismissed the I&elandic
Assembly and threatened military CO.
ercion. However, no force was used.
and the matter remained open until
the millenial yeaer of 1874, comment
Grating the founding in S74 of the
Icelandic Commonwealth. Then, to
help in celebration, King Christian
visited the island and presented a
constitution recognizing the distinct
nationality of the Icelanders. The
population is between $4,000 and
so 900.
Under the Constitution Of 1874, the
people received the following conces-
sions:
l. The Althfng received legislative
powers. it consisting of two branch
es-one composed of 30 representa-
tives elected by the people, out of
whom 6 were chosen by the lower
house to constitute the upper house.
2. The King appoints a viceroy or
governor.
8. The affairs of Iceland were to
be managed by Danish minister of
justice, and all bills passed by the
Assembly must be sent to Copenha-
gen to be there approved. The Land
hofsthingi Gas the Assembly's official
representative was called was re-
luired to maintain an office in Copen-
hagen.
The 1celandic bills. nominally to be
approved by the King, were actually
subject to approval of the minister
of justice, and up to 1900 more than
so such bills were vetoed. making the
fate of the island subject to the rule
of an alien minister.
X y *
In 1900. the Constitution was
amended by the Liberal Danes, so
that the minister for Iceland was re-
quired to devote his entire time to
Iceland, to live there and be RESPONSE
BILE directly to the Althing. He must
be familiar with the Icelandic Ian
guage, which meant that he must be
an Icelander. The power Of the
Althing was increased. In 1915.
another amendment gave the fran
chise to women.
In 1918, the Danish -Icelandic Act OF
Union was passed. which puts Iceland
and Denmark upon an equal footing
in the Danish Kingdom, the first
clause reading:
Denmark and Iceland are independ-
ent and sovereign states, united by
common King and by the agreement
contained in this union act. The
names of both countries are taken
into the name of the King"
The second clause: Danish sub
jects enjoy in every respect the same
rights in Iceland as Ice1andic sub
jects born in that country, and vice
versa"
Clause VI provides: "After the ex-
piry of the year 1910 either the Rigs
dag (of Denmark or the Althing (of
Iceland may at any time demand
that negotiations for the revision of
this statute shall be inaugurated.
"If the negotiations do not lead to
a renewed agreement within three
years from the time the demand was
launched, the Rigstag or the Althing
respectively may resolve that the
agreement contained in this law be
repealed"
Such repeal requires a two-thirds
vote. later to be sanctioned by a
plebiscite of the electors eligible to
vote at the elections of the Assembly
of the country, the plebiscite requir-
ing three-fourths of all votes cast.
VII. Denmark notifies foreign
powers that in conformity of this
union act she has acknowledged Ice
land as sovereign state. and stimuli
taneously that Iceland declares her.
SELF perpetually neutral. and that she
has no naval flag. This union comes
into force on the 1st of December.
1918"
Now all that the present news signi-
fies Is that absolute independence
after 1910 win be a political issue
of the Peasant Party until that date