ICKI.AM*. 



401 



Lit ions between the King and Danish 



inn. -MI on one side, and the Legislative 

 Assembly, or Althing, on tho other. The legis- 

 lative power belongs to the King aii<l Althing, 



ecntive pouer with the. King alone, and 



the judicial power with tin- judges. Iceland 



> in I'ani-h national questions, since 



it is not represented in tho Kigsdag at Gopen- 



; consequently it hoars no part of tho 



national expenditures. The highest power in 



Iceland belongs to tho Governor, who is ap- 



jKiintod by tho King. Should the Althing have 



i to complain of tlio (Jovernor, the King 



decides in each particular case. The Althing, 



called by the King, sits every other year, but 



only for six weeks, unless prolonged by royal 



it. A special session may be called at 



tho King's pleasure ; the latter may also pro- 



tlio Althing, but only once a year, 



and for four weeks at a time. The King has 



powt-r to di.-snlve the Althing, in which case 



new elections shall be held within two months, 



and the new Assembly shall meet the following 



No decree of the Althing has the force 

 of law without the King's consent, and, if he 

 fail to sign a bill before the next session of the 

 body, the bill is null and void. The minor 

 -ions of this first chapter harmonize with 

 tin so leading features. 



Chapter II. relates to the constitution of the 

 Althing. It shall consist of thirty deputies 

 elected by the people, and six chosen by the 

 K in:,'. The former hold office during six years, 

 the latter retaining their places in case an As- 

 sembly should be dissolved. The Althing is 

 divided into an Upper and a Lower House, the 

 former composed of the six deputies appointed 

 by the King, and six more chosen by the thirty 

 elected members from out their own number. 

 The Lower House is thus formed by the re- 

 maining twenty-four members of the latter 

 class. The other clauses of this chapter relate 

 to the filling of vacancies and the civil condi- 

 tions which make a citizen of Iceland eligible 

 to election as a member of the Althing. 



Chapter III. defines the legislative functions 

 of the two Houses and their cooperative action. 

 The regular A Ithing shall meet on the first work- 

 day in July (unless the King orders otherwise), 

 in Keikiavik. Each House has the right to in- 

 troduce and pass bills ; also to appoint com- 

 mittees for the investigation of matters of special 

 interest, sucb committees having power to send 

 for persons and papers. No tax may be im- 

 posed, altered, or removed, except by course 

 of law. The Althing has entire control of the 

 finances of the island, which it must regulate 

 by a biennial budget, with the condition that 

 the salaries of the Danish functionaries (includ- 

 ing the six members appointed by the King) 

 take precedence of all other expenditure. The 

 regulations in regard to the reading of a bill 

 three times, to returning a bill from one House 

 to another with amendments, to a quorum of 

 members being present, etc., are similar to the 

 parliamentary laws of other countries, and 



need not be repeated. Two-thirds of the mem- 

 berg of either HOUHO constituting a quorum, 

 however, it will always bo possible for four 

 of tho Kind's deputies to prevent any legisla- 

 tion not agreeable to Denmark, by their simple 

 absence. 



Chapter IV. contains clauses regulating the 

 judiciary powers. 



Chapter V. provides for the state Church, 

 i lie ''Evangelical Lutheran," but guarantees 

 liberty of conscience to all the inhabitants. 



Chapter VI. embraces provisions relating to 

 the freedom of the subject, the sanctity of 

 home and private property, the freedom of la- 

 bor, poor-laws, elementary education, freedom 

 of the press, freedom of association and assem- 

 bly, rights of municipal government, taxation, 

 privileges of the nobility, which, together with 

 their titles, are henceforth abolished. 



Chapter VII., and last, provides that propo- 

 sitions with a view to amending or adding to 

 the present constitution may be introduced 

 either at a regular or an extraordinary session 

 of the Althing. If such a proposition receive 

 the necessary majority in both Houses, the 

 Althing shall be dissolved forthwith and a new 

 election ordered. If the newly-elected Althing 

 then accepts the same proposition without 

 amendment, and the latter then receives the 

 royal sanction, it comes into force as part and 

 parcel of the constitutional law. 



The new constitution reconciled the people 

 of Iceland with the Danish rule, and allayed 

 the excitement which for several years had 

 been threatening serious consequences. The 

 Althing was established in 1843. Like the 

 provincial Diets of the other parts of the 

 Danish monarchy, the powers were only de- 

 liberative ; the King being absolute monarch, 

 who regulated the military affairs and fixed 

 the budget without being bound to the consent 

 of a representative Assembly, "When, in 1849, 

 Denmark was changed into a constitutional 

 monarchy, Iceland was not consulted. The 

 Government convoked, however, a national 

 Assembly, to which, in 1851, the new funda- 

 mental law was submitted for approval. When 

 the Assembly appewed to favor the change of 

 several articles of the fundamental laws, it was 

 dissolved even before it had taken any action. 

 A royal rescript, of May 12, 1852, proclaimed 

 that, for the present, the Althing would retain 

 its former functions, and that the final rela- 

 tion of Iceland to the kingdom should not be 

 changed without the consent of the former. 

 Actually, however, the constitutional position 

 of Iceland had been greatly changed. 



From a legal point of view, the King, in all 

 affairs concerning the entire kingdom, was de- 

 pendent on the consent of the Danish Legisla- 

 ture, while in Iceland he remained absolute 

 regent. Thus the Icelanders, on the one hand, 

 had a less amount of liberty than the Danes ; 

 and, on tho other hand, the Danish ministry 

 and the Danish Diet decided on questions which 

 concerned Iceland as well as all other parts of 





VOL. nv. 26 A 



