on
at Throndhjem (July 18, 1873), while the king sanctioned the bill
abolishing the office of Statholder. But soon differences between the
Storthing and the ministry brought on sharp conflicts. Long before
Norway deposed King Oscar II (June 7, 1905), disruptions and war would
doubtless have occurred had it not been for the wisdom and tact of the
king. The last straw that broke the camel's back in this instance was
the refusal of separate consular representation for Norway. The basis
of this last demand was not mainly the commercial value to Norway of
having its distinct consuls, though this was an element, but the right
of Norway as a nation entirely independent of Sweden to be represented
as such in its commercial relations with foreign nations. Sweden and
Norway are now not only two distinct nations, but are competitors in
trade and commerce. Norway's shipping and carrying trade far exceeds
that of Sweden. The Norwegians have always been a seafaring people,
and Norwegian sailors and marines are found in large numbers in the
commercial marine and navies of all Europe and America. From the
standpoint of Norway, common justice demanded that Norwegian merchants
and sailors should, like every other nation, have their own consuls to
represent and protect them in foreign countries.

Not being able to secure the approval of the king for separate
consular representation, the Storthing, on June 7, 1905, passed
resolutions declaring the dissolution of the union between Norway and
Sweden, and that King Oscar had ceased to be the ruler of Norway. In
the place of the king, the Storthing appointed the members of the
Norway Council of State to act as a temporary government for the
nation. The Storthing further declared that Norway had no ill feeling
against King Oscar or his dynasty of Sweden, and asked the king to
cooperate in selecting one of his own house to be king of Norway.

The Riksdag of Sweden met in extraordinary session, June 21, 1905,
at the call of King Oscar, to consider the action of the Norwegian
Storthing in declaring the dissolution of the union between the
two countries. The opening of the session was marked by the usual
ceremonial pomp, but also by a gravity and solemnity befitting the
unusual occasion. The emotional feeling was intense and repressed with
difficulty by both speakers and audience. The king, in his address
to the Riksdag, maintained with dignity that he had acted within his
constitutional rights a