Norway Independent

NORWAY INDEPENDENT The Consular Crisis.—In Jan. 1902, on the initiative of the Swedish foreign minister, another joint committee on the consular question was appointed. It unanimously reported that "it was possible to appoint separate Norwegian consuls exclusively re sponsible to Norwegian authority and separate Swedish consuls exclusively responsible to Swedish authority." Further negotia tions resulted in the so-called communiqué of March 24, 1903, which announced an agreement between the two countries for a separate consular service. In due course the Norwegian Govern ment submitted to the Swedish Government their draft of the proposed laws and regulations, but no reply was forthcoming for several months. The friendly Swedish foreign minister, Mr. Lager heim, resigned, and in Nov. 1904 Bostrom, the prime minister, suddenly submitted to the Norwegian Government a number of new conditions for the establishment of separate consuls. Ac cording to Bostrom's proposals, the Norwegian consuls were to be placed under the control of the Swedish foreign minister, who was to have the power to remove them. Hagerup proceeded to Stockholm, but no satisfactory agreement could be arrived at. The Norwegians felt that nothing remained but to take matters into their own hands. On March 1, 1905, Hagerup resigned and was succeeded by Christian Michelsen, and a ministry from both political parties. A bill was resolved on for the establishment of a Norwegian consular service not later than April 1, 1906. Dur ing the king's illness the crown prince vainly attempted to reopen negotiations. In April Bostrom resigned, apparently to facilitate negotiations. On May 23 the bill was passed by the storting with out a dissentient voice, but on May 27, in spite of the earnest entreaties of his Norwegian ministers, the king refused his sanc tion. The Norwegian Ministry immediately resigned, but the king would not accept their resignation, which they declined to with draw. On June 7, Michelson informed the storting that, as an al ternative Government could not be formed, the union with Swe den, based upon a king in common, was dissolved. The resigning

ministry was unanimously authorized to exercise the authority vested in the king in accordance with the constitution.

Separation from Sweden.

On receiving this news, the king sent a telegraphic protest to the Norwegian prime minister and to the president of the storting, and the Swedish Government sum moned an extraordinary session of the Riksdag (parliament) for June 20, when a special committee was appointed to consider the crisis. On July 25 it reported to the Riksdag that Sweden could have no objection to enter into negotiations about the severance of the union, when a vote to the effect had been given by a newly elected storting or by way of referendum. The report was unani mously adopted on July 27, and the next day the storting decided that a general plebiscite should be taken. On August 13, 368,211 voted for the dissolution and only 184 against it. It was there upon agreed that representatives-of Norway and of Sweden should meet to arrange for the severance of the union. After more than three weeks of difficult negotiation, agreement was reached on Sept. 23. This provided for a neutral zone on both sides of the southern frontier, the Norwegians undertaking to dismantle some fortifications within that zone. The agreement was to remain in force for ten years, and could be renewed for a similar period, unless one of the countries gave notice to the contrary. On Oct.

27, after ratification by storting and Riksdag, the king relin quished the crown of Norway. Failing acceptance by a member of the house of Bernadotte, it was conferred upon Prince Charles of Denmark by a second popular vote (259,563 against 69,264) and by the storting with no dissentients. On Nov. 25, the king, now Haakon VII., and Queen Maud, the youngest daughter of Edward VII. of England, entered the Norwegian capital.