The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-11-19
ne osials i. A.sssia.

1 1no OS10D N A00Sy1A.
The announcement that the Emperor OF
Austria has refused 70 aecede to all the de-
mands of the Bohemian Nationa1ists marks
| the elimination Of that Constitutional
crisis which may be said 70 have originated
| with the accession of Count Won HOhen-
warth to the cis-Leitbsn Ministry.
The compromise with Hungary 10 1867
did not terminate the difficulty Of the Ma
tionalities, that standing pnzzie Of every
Austrian administration. Hungary was
NOT ths Only dependent State that Claimed
TO be Independent; BOT were the Maya rs
the only race that could point to q long
record Of oppression and resistance. The
Poles Of Galicia, the Czechs Of Bohemia; in q
word. the various peoples Of Slav descent
throughout the Empire, demanded in their
turn the recognition Of their autonomy.
On the other hand, the Germans of Austro-
Hungary, about third Of the population
of tho nom Hungarian division, maintained
with obstinacy those Centralist views
which had always entered more or less into
the policy Of the Hapsburgs, but which,
since the unfortunate era Of Joseph III. and
in intimate connection with the anti-Catho-
lie measures inaugnrated by that monarch,
cisn, or beyond the verge. Statesmen of
the school of Metternich bad set mp theo.
~ Of the State which ignored the rights of
the Nationafities. By not unnatural re-
action, when the Nationalities believed
that their opportunity was como, they set
ed to make short work of the rights of the
State.
By the compromise of 1867, the old Cen
tralist Monarchy which Sadowa had chat
tered was divided into two groups of pro
vinces-what was known as the German
group, to the west of the Leitha, and what
was known as the Magyar group, to the
east of that river. The former combina-
ton was generally called Austria, and the
latter preserved the designation of Hun
gary. Each Of the two countries had its
distinct Parliament, Ministers, and Govern.
ment for the Transaction Of all home affairs.
At present, the chief of the Austrian Cab
net 10 Count Karl Won Hohenwarth, while
Count Gyula Andrasy is the Hungarian
Premier. The bond which unites the two
independent States consists in = common
Sovereign, the Emperor-King, a Common
army and navy, and a common Ministry
and Parliament, called the Delegations:
who have exclusive control over all mat
ters Of general defence, foreign policy, and
such questions Of finance a. are insepara-
bly, connected with these commoR affairs.
The Delegations consist Of 10 members,
GO chosen by tho Legislature or Austria, and
90 chosen by the Legislature Of Hungary.
The ministers for the common affairs,
which form the business of the Delegations,
are at present, Count Won Beast, Imperial
Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Baron
Won Kuh1enfeld, War Minister, and Herr
Lonyay, Minister of Finance. It is unne-
cessary to state that there are special Min
listers Of War, Finance, End 30 forth, in the
Apeeia cabinets of Austria and Hungary
respectively.
1t is the preservation of this arrange
n,ent which forms the fundamental prob
lem Of the present situation Between
slav irritation and German arrogance it is
h0N t< L. IL
Early in the month of February Last,
Count Karl Won Hehenwarth received the
commands Of his sovereign to form q Gov
ernment for Austria. Ministry had sue
eeedea Ministry only to disappear ss quick
~ ~ 1t rose into existence,a and meantime
sions that-Hcfe sappiBg the vitality of the
State.|The Slavs, although commanding
the vast majority of the votes in the
Reichsrath,, refused to recognize by THEIR
ate ndance the validity of constitutional
mechanism they repudiate. In their alb
sence, the German minority found them
selves master of-the- position, and under
the leadership of the Freethinkers and the
jews Of Vienna, carried out that anti Ca
tholic legislation which, not even shrinking
at such breaches of public faith as the rug
ture of the Corcordat, has 80 deeply de-
graded the Catholicism of Austria, and
made the ancient crown of the Hapsburgs
Evidently, the first condition of any favor
able alteration niast be the temperance of
the discontented Slavs in the arena of con-
stitutional action. If the reins of power
were to be rescued from German intoler-
ance, the Slavs must be induced to give up
their policy of abstentiop. 1t became the
cardinal principle of-Coupt Won Hohen-
warth's administration to bring Czech and
Pole to unite with him in carrying, by
regular parliamentary vote, those conces-
sions to national feeling which the exigen-
cIes of the empire imperatively required.
This was what he meant in announcing his
intention of modifying the constitution
by means of the constitution" The diff
Guilty was to get Czech and Pole to consent
to make use of the constitution even to
modify it.
The Czechs demand the complete ac-
acknowledgement of the indepen dent rights of
the kingdom of Bohemia, before they will
consent to send their representatives to
swell the ministerial majority in the Reichs-
rath. The Emperor could only recognize
these independent rights $50 far as compa-
80 Il Al. 81.