King Haakon to His People
The dignified and wise words spoken by King Haakon of Norway in a broadcast in the Norwegian news on Monday will have made many listeners reflect on the difference between his Government's attitude and that of France. " If we had stayed in Norway the present rulers of the country would have been able to force us to accept what they desired," he said. That indeed, and worse, is the fate that has befallen the Petain Government in France, which at home has become little more than a tool of the Nazis and overseas has rejected the opportunity of continuing the struggle in the colonies. Those who have asked King Haakon to abdicate were not free agents. At every stage in the process of events since April 9th King Haakon and his advisers have acted con- stitutionally, rightly withdrawing from Oslo when it became untenable, reconstructing the Government on a broader basis with the full and freely expressed assent of the Storting at Hamar. That Government, as the King said, is the repre- sentative of Norway, appointed when her parliamentary institutions were still capable of functioning and when the nature of the crisis was understood. The King has refused to betray his trust by abdicating at the suggestion of men who are under German influence. Through him the voice of Not' way can still be heard carrying a message of hope to his fellow countrymen who are condemned for the present to suffer in silence. Indications of the salutary effect of the broad- cast come from Sweden.
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