._]

In Sweden it had always been feared that separate Consuls for Norway
without the reorganization of the Foreign administration, would act as a
wedge to rupture the Union, especially as leading Norwegian politicians
took no pains to hide their ulterior motives. Therefore, the Swedish Diet
in 1893 expressed a decided wish that the Consular question should not be
discussed except in connection with the question of Foreign
administration, and from this decision the Swedish Diet has not since
deviated in any way.

In order, therefore, that there might be some prospect of the Swedish
government gaining the approval of the Swedish Diet, of the result of the
negotiations, it was necessary that it contained safe guarantees that the
Consular reform would not react to the advantage of a Union programme to
which Sweden could never agree: i. e. a purely personal Union.

But on the other hand, it was expected that the efforts to get these
guarantees fixed on a firm basis would meet with opposition from the
Norwegian side. The old Norwegian traditions of the Radical party were as
deeply rooted as ever in the political life of Norway. It was hard for
the Norwegian Radicals to lose sight of the original political aims in
carrying out the reform of the Consular service. D:r IBSEN'S aforesaid
inquiry plainly hinted that Norwegian opposition would be raised against
the Swedish Minister for Foreign affairs having direct control over the
Norwegian Consuls, a stipulation that was absolutely necessary both from
a Swedish and a Union point of view. And Norwegian policy had generally
with its sickly distrust and susceptibility an instinctive disinclination
to bind Norway to anything referring to the burning question of the day.
"As to one's rights, no one negotiates". This has become well nigh the
axiom for Norwegian politics. And Norway now considers she has a right to
one and all of her demands.--

[Sidenote: _The Consular Committee of 1902._]

In a joint Cabinet Council held on January 21et 1902, it was resolved to
convene a Union Consular Committee consisting of two Swedish and two
Norwegian authorities,[21:1] who were to institute an examination as to
how far a new arrangement with separate Consuls for each of the United
Kingdoms would practically work under the administration of the present
joint diplomatic representatives.

The Committee accepted its task in a purely administrative spirit. It
declared distinctly that it consider