to the
negotiations on the Norwegian government side, in a debate at the
Storthing, during the Spring 1904, cast friendly glances on the old
lines, showed plainly how little they had forgotten the old talk of
taking matters into their own hands.

[Sidenote: _The question as to whether the Swedish government had broken
the covenant of the Communique._]

But the Norwegian accusations were not limited to the negotiators'
(especially Mr BOSTROeM'S) bringing about the breaking off of the
negotiations by their unreasonable demands. They went further; it was
loudly proclaimed that the Swedish government had not kept their word,
had broken their agreement etc. etc., and, when all of a sudden Sweden
became identical with the government of Sweden she was pathetically
pointed at as untrustworthy etc. etc. The amount of moral indignation
contained in these Norwegian accusations has plainly been made manifest
by late events. Their object--to throw on Sweden the responsibility of
plans that were designed to be executed in Norway--was too transparent,
but just on that account they must be explained, in order that the
responsibility of Sweden for what happened in Norway, may appear in its
true light.

The most naive accusations of having broken their agreement, are based on
the supposition that the Swedish government was bound by the Communique
to bring the negotiations to a definite conclusion, which means about the
same as, that Sweden had beforehand promised to accept the Norwegian
demands which in future would be presented by the Norwegian side. This
supposition requires no serious reflection, the Communique naturally
implying only a promise _to try_ to come to a conclusion that would be
satisfactory to both parties. This system of reasoning is, however,
typical of Norwegian politics all through. It is illustrated in one way
by the Norwegian government's peculiar way of practically commencing
negotiations with an Ultimatum, and it has been characterised, in a very
amusing manner, by professor TRYGGER in a debate in the First Chamber of
the Swedish Diet, immediately after the publishing of the Communique.
"Norwegians", he said, "are very fond of negotiations. I have sat with
them in the Union Committee, for three years, and they have always taken
great pleasure in negotiating with us, so long as we acceded to their
demands".

Far more serious is the accusation that the Swedish government had
violated the grounds of the negotiat