it is very seldom necessary for the executive power to exercise such
responsibility.

The king appoints all the officials of the executive part of the
government, all the officers of the army and navy, and all the
clergymen in the established church, but exercises this power through
his ministers. Dissenting congregations are not subject to government
control, and may choose their own clergymen, although the latter are
required to register an oath of allegiance and a pledge to obey
the laws of the nation and fulfill their duties with fidelity and
conscientiousness.

The king is the head of the established church, which is the Lutheran.
He is also commander-in-chief of the army and navy, but can not
increase or decrease the military establishment without the approval
of the parliament. He has the right to declare war and conclude peace,
but can not expend money for military purposes, not even for the
national defense, without the consent of the legislature. The
Norwegian constitution is silent concerning his authority to conclude
treaties with foreign powers, and the question has never been raised.
He conducts negotiations through his ministers and submits the result
of their labors for the approval of parliament. He has the power
to suspend the collection of customs duties temporarily until the
parliament can meet to consider the matter, but it has very rarely
been exercised.

The parliament is called the storthing, and is composed of one
hundred and fourteen representatives, thirty-eight from the towns
and seventy-six from the rural districts. It divides itself into two
sections, known as the odelsthing and the lagthing. The members are