Oct. 6. these days, when the world seems sharply divided into progressive and reactionaries struggling the one against the other on more or less unconstitutional lines, it is comforting to see one country, Sweden, pursuing her way apparently undisturbed by the turmoil beyond her borders. Probably to most of our readers the results of the Swedish elections for the Second Chamber published in these columns on Monday, conveyed little but an impression that Sweden was still sane. Sweden does not appear to have any great leanings to Bolshevism, but a change is coming over the character of her Diet with an increase in the number of Social Democrats and Liberals which this last election shows.
Ever since Socialism became a recognized force in Sweden it has gained in power, following well defined and reasonable lines, but increasing in influence until this year saw a Prime Minister drawn from the leaders of the party, in the person of M. Hyalmar Branting. Factors contributing to this result may be said to date back many years now, but the party's first noteworthy success might be found in the results of the 1917 election, when eighty-six Social Democrats and sixty-two Liberals formed a governmental majority in the second Chamber and supported a cabinet in which no fewer than four of eleven members belonged to the Socialist party. As a result of this recent lection, the Government majority in the Second Chamber stands reduced to a minority of eighty-four, the strength of the Liberal-S
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.