New-York tribune., 1895-10-14
CLERICAL REACTION ~ AUSTRIA.

Seldom has there been between the two sec
,ons If tbc Dual Monarchy so great a contrast
in noltical. social and religious affairs rs that
,,,ich Is now presented In the Trans-Tethian
kingdom as we have just had occasion to
recorl vast revolution has been effected III
,he direction Of civil and religious liberty. In
fact. all distinctions Of church ana creed nave
heen abolished. and Christian and Hebrew,
Protestant and Catholic are now eqlal Derore
the law In the Cs-Leithian empire an almost
ooually great revolution is being Effected Dul III
the contrary direction, toward religious despot-
ism Ii began In some Of the large provincial
towns. such as SalZburg. Graz. Troppa'. LlnZ
and Rcichenberg Now II has involved Vienna
itself even more completely, and threatens 10
extend throughout all Austria. 1t is not too
much 10 say that IT is fraught with omnous sig
niGcance not only for Austria, but FOR the union
Of the monarchy, and for the maintenance OF
the Triple Alliance and the status quo in Europe.
The Anti-Semte party has swep. Vienna IN
the municipal elections That IS the salient
fact in the case. 1t has secured two-thlrds
majority Of the City Council by more man
two-thirls majority Of the popular vote. For
six wears. therefore, Karl Liiger-a sort or AUS
trian Boulanger-will be the Chief Magistrate
Of that capital, with an Irresistible majority AT
his back and with the besom OF an almost IN
crelbly reacionay programme in his handS.
That programme is, in the first place, anu
Jewish 1t provides that ali Jews shall be eN-
pcled and excluded from the municipal service;
that no Jews shall be allowed 10 make contracts
with the municipal government, and that all
such contracts now existing shall be cancelled,
and that the public schools. which are sup
nortcd by n general tax shall no longer be open
to Jewish children That is the policy which
tho government of Vienna will hencefOrth pur-
suc toward a people who form one-tenth OF the
nonulotion and pay one-thlrd of the taxes Of the
city.
That however. Is not all. The programme is
NOT merely anti-.Iewish. 1t is ultraclerical all
around. Ii proposes to put Protcstants under
the han almost rs much as the Jews. No more
Protestant teachers will be allowed in the
schools. and the whole system OF public instruc-
tion will be put into the hands of the Roman
Catholic clergy as completely as 1t was before
,he liberal legislation Of 1868. That will be the
case in Vienna. and largely throughout Austria
for the example Of the capital Is being initiated
far and wide No wonder Dr. Rchter says the
Vienna election was only the prelude to n great
struggle In which the real leader on the Anti
Semitic side will he not DIR. Liigcr. but far
more exalted and important parsonage, who Is
now using him as tool. The intimation Is, or
course. that this reactionary movement Is di-
rected from the Vatican itself and that its object
is 70 punish Hungary for its Liberalism and
italy for It's abolition Of the temporal power OF
the Papacy by menacing or actually destroying
Austria's compromise with the one and her alli-
ance with the other. DR.. Richter may take too
serious view Of the case. II so, he Is not alone
in error: for even the foreign Ambassadors at
Vienna have sent long dispatches to their Gov
ernmcnts discussing the Vienna municipal cleo
tIon as matter Of the gravest international
importance.