Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - XXI. Political and Social Progress - A. Establishment of a Riksdag of Two Chambers
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Political Progress 345
ing against the proposition. In the meantime the’
clergy decided to postpone their decision till the nobles
had given theirs. If the nobles should accept the re-
form the clergy felt that it would be unwise for them
to oppose it. The fate of the proposition therefore
rested with the nobility. It was of this Estate the
reform required the greatest sacrifice. Their discus-
sions lasted four days. Never were more brilliant de-
bates heard among them. Strange it was to hear
brother argue against brother and son against father.
The vote revealed a handsome majority for the propo-
sition. The following day, without the formality of a
vote, the clergy joined with the other Estates in the
decision. The triumph was hailed throughout the
country with a jubilation never witnessed before.
Thus the Estates of the Realm of their own accord
withdrew from the political arena. Never more would
the worshipful knights and nobles meet to decide the
country’s fate; never more would the reverend clergy
be called to political deliberations; never more would
the licensed burghers differ from other citizens in the
Riksdag; and evermore would the honorable peasant
estate be a thing of the past.
"Laws may be changed, privileges may be abolished,
but duties to the fatherland remain ; and if these duties
be well fulfilled, it matters little to the true nobility
where their place in the community may be assigned."
With these words the lord president closed his farewell
address to the nobility.
The New Organization of the Riksdag. In the year
1866, the new regulations for the Riksdag became a
part of the organic law of the realm. By these regu-
A History of Sweden. 23.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
