The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-19
Aspect Of Affairs In the A ustriOn Empire
The New Constitution.

mounted the throne of his ancestors at a moment
of extreme peril, have already found means to
duce by force of arms, three capitals and to occupy
two great Kingdoms in oben rebellion, whilst their
diplomacy has indicated with singular dignity the
independence of the imperial crown, and the states
men charged with the civil government of the en-
pire have brought to maturity a vast scheme of
constitutional government, intended not only to
cure the Liberties of the Austrian people, but to
consolidate their power by ralylng the whole ma
ton round the common centre of the diet and the
throne. That constitution, which we were yester-
day enabled exclusively to publish, amply redeems
the pledges given by the court twelve months ago,
in the tumu of the first revolutionary outbreak;
and it redeems them, not by servle surrender of
The duties of the crown to the clamor of the popu
lace, but by maintaining the rights and privileges
of every order in we-regulatcd commonwealth.
The general principles of public liberty are Sc
cured to the people by this declaration of rights
without reserve The complete equality and tolera-
ton of all religious confessions, the independence
of every church and religious society. in the ma
nagcment OF It's own property and affairs, and the
extension OF popular education to the national lam
guages of the minority, are things new to Austria.
These followed by articles to secure liberty OF
the press, the right of association and personal free
established, and to suspension in case of war
tumults The Imperial Diet is to consist of two
Assemblies, both elective the upper one being
elected from the oyincla Diets, with high qua
LITIGATION the lower house being chosen by the po-
puation at large, III the proportion of one member
to 1901 600 souls; and the qualification for vote
being the payment of direct taxes, varying from
one to two pounds sterling.
Without, however, entering more mnutely INTO
these details, some of which descend so low as to
regulate what we should call the standing orders
of Parliament, our attention is fixed upon the great
and all important fact, that the primary object of
this constitution is to give unity to the Gree, In
dependent, indiyisble, indissouble, constitutional
Austrian hereditary monarchy" The intention
and the will OF the great authors of this charter has
been to fuse in one whole, by the attraction of
co free nv he MT 81
mon power, that vast and various empire, with all
its dependent kingdoms, duchies, cities, and pro-
vinces from the Pennsylvania mountains to the
plains of Lombardy, and from the Iron Gate to the
heart of the German Confederation. TO subject the
whole of these domlnions to equal, if not to uni
form laws-to abolish distinctions which have kept
alive national anmosltles at the expense OF the In
tcrests of each and of ALTO bring the entire king
dom of Hungary. so long excluded by bad laws
from the general interests OF Austria and Europe,
to form integral part of that nation to which it
and to consolidate those resources which alone
maintain the rank of Austria amongst the European
powers, is the design OF the young Emperor and
his ministers. The magnitude of the plan cores
ponds to the magnitude of the opportunity and OF
the danger. To complete it, will be to crown the
Austrian revolution by the regeneration OF the en-
pire. Nothing less colossal could i'll such crisis
save the state from dissolution and ruin: We know
not whether the power OF the crown and the energy
of its ministers will prove equal to the successful
execution of so immense an enterprise; but If the
people of Austria have indeed ava kencd from their
sumbers of long duration, this call upon their pa
triotism and intelligence will not be made in vain.
1t places in their own hands the glory OF their ma
ton, the greatness of their sovereign, the welfare
of their posterity; they will choose between free
dom and anarchy-between an imperial union,
welding mighty power and sangulnary dlssen-
slons, leading to exhaustion, dissolution, and the
hunll lation of foreign conquest. The state of
Austria hangs suspended between greatness 1t
has never before attained and political annihila-
hut he Of he Va
this charter processes to realize, and the vlgor with
which ii seems likely to be executed lead us to
form the strongest hopes of its ultimate success.
We have frequently had occasion to expose the
fallacy Of making identity of language and of race
a criterion of political union of what is termed
''naiionalty:" nor can we admit that differences of
language and OF race are necessarily detrimental to
the unity OF national power. The two greatest EN-
pres in the modern world, those of Britain and of
Russia are composed of infinite varieties of tribes
and provinces. Even the islands Of this united
kingdom are divided by dialects of different tongues
and by still stronger distinctions OF blood, OF usages
and OF civil laws. Abroad all seas, under all
ATTITUDES, IN all religions. and all tongues, the
sway of England is acknowledged, the liberties of
England extend, and the Parliament of England
egisates supreme. In the Russian empire, abso-
lutte power preserves the same unity OF authority
from Kamischaika to Warsaw; and infinite varie-
ties Of race swell the imperial armies, and minis
ter 10 the imperial authority. Compared to these
vast states the unity of the Austrian empire is not
only practical, but easy. It's territory contiguous
and compact: lis interests are identified by nature
and by history; nothing is required but time, the
removal Of absurd barriers, and the exercise of a
vigorous but Just and equal authority, to make the
entire nation acknowledge the benefits of such
fusion. That fusion is the law of progress, of ci-
vlliZatlon and of political greatness. The middle
ages left Europe covered with minute common
wcahs and plgmy potentates, each animated with
all the prejudices of local importance and mis-
chievous jealousy. II the revolutions of our age
are 10 have some higher import than miserable
br;tI or "A LEAF Ia he
iuliilment of the higher destncs of nations, and
to the structure of oiter power on broader
basis.
But. whilst we look beyond the dreary and dis
tracted aspect of the affairs of Europe. some such
result Of uobler kind, and we hope that III the
progress of society the people of Europe may learn
confident that no such results will be accomplished
at ALL without the active direction OF an enlightened
ruling power. The union and the freedom of the
Austrian empire are great IDEAS; but, in the present
crisis the possibility of their fuIiiment rests with
the maintenance of the Imperial authorty-left to
the unaded will of the people, they would simply
degenerate into dscord or into excess. The Diet
of kremsier, which has just seen It's contemplate
existence brought TO a close unfair specI-
men Of what might be expected from the represcn-
tatives OF people profoundly ignorant of political
principles yet called upon suddenly to leglsate for
itself The task was simply impossible; and though
they brought the empire in SIX months to the brink
of dissolution age of such discussions would
not have reconstructed IT. II, as sincerely hope
and believe the people of Austria at all adapted
10 the mysteries OF constitutional government, they
have now a fair chance. They stand once more
upon dry land. The Crown has done its part in
restoring public order without cxtingulshng public
liberty or leaving single pledge of the last reign
uniuliiIled; the conditions of the constitution
are praccable and its final object is to raise the
united Austrian empire to rank which it .as not
held IN the world since the peace of Westphaa.
On the part Of England, we cordially applaud this
great unde riaking, fraly adhcring TO the great
pIncipIe OF British policy, that the independence
and prosperity Of Austria are of the utmost CONT
mental interest 10 ourselves, and that we more
than ever called upon 10 stand by the Court of
Vienna when it has abandoned the camp of absoIu-
ism and adopted principles Of government as
liberal and as moderate as those OF our own mo-
narchy