The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
The Curious Dunlism OF Austria
Hungary.

Inc announcement Ol tHe <Austriah VIII
lister of Commerce that Austria's CONNER
cial treaty with Hungary will shortly be de-
nounced, is likely to perplex some American
| readers who are unfamiliar with the intri-
cate and anomalous relations OF the two
monarchies associated under the rule OF the
| House of HAPsBURG. 1t may be well, there
fore, to point out precisely what those rela-
tions are, and why the word treaty is appli-
cable to the commercial arrangements made
by one pnrt Of FRANCIS JosEPH's subjects
with another part. To this end we avail
ourselves Of Mr.. A. LAWRENCE LowELL's
exhaustive study of the subject in his re-
Gently published work, Governments and
Parties in Continental Europe"
The compact between the two halves OF
the HAPsBURG realm. which had been
| agreed upon between the Emperor, Baron
BEUsT, and FRANCIS DEAK, was enacted in
the shape of n substantially concurrent stat
ute by the Hungarian Parliament and the
Austrian Reichsrath in 1857. These two
laws regulate the structure and functions Of
the joint Government, but they do not form
q constitution in the sense of n single, au-
thoritative document, for, although alike in
substance, they are not identical in form.
The organic law, thus established, can be
amended only in the way in which 1t was
originally made; that is, by concurrent ac-
ton of the Parliaments of Austria and Hun
gary, sanctioned by the Emperor. The two
principal statutes were supplemented by
others. Thus, one pair Of statutes deter
mined the quota to be paid by Hun
gary on account OF the interest on the
imperial debt; a second pair Of statutes
regulated for ten years Hungary's share OF
the common expenses; and n third pair,
voted Dec. "a, 1867, established a tariff
and trade union for the same period. These
last two pairs of laws were renewed in 1878
and again in 1857. 1t is the third pair,
| creating n tariff and trade union, the pair
which is commonly described as a CONNER
cial treaty. that has been denounced by the
Austrian Minister of Commerce. The de-
nunciation means, of course, that Austria
will decline to renew the tariff and trade
union in the present form. But, no doubt,
some kind Of an agreement will be reached
by the associated countries.
The first and principal connecting link be-
tween Austria and Hungary is the monarch
himself, whose functions, however, and
even whose titles are carefully distin-
guished in the two countries. There Is no
such thing as an Emperor of Austria-Hun-
gary. There Is an Emperor of Austria.
meaning thereby all the countries repre-
sented in the Vienna Reichsrath, and there
Is a King in Hungary, both sovereignties be-
ing united in the person of FRANCIS JOSEPH.
He begins his reign with two separate cor
onations, one at Vienna, the other at Buda-
pest; and by an order Of Nov. ID, 1868, he
is to be styled Emperor Of Austria, King
of Bohemia, etc, and Apostolic King Of
Hungary" 1t is the law, also, that in speak.
ing of him he must be referred to as his
Majesty the Emperor and King, or, more
shortly, as his Imperial and Royal Apostol-
ical Majesty. We have italicized the and be-
cause the omission Of the particle in 1889
provoked a threat of resignation on the part
Of the Hungarian Ministers. Although the
Offices are thus carefully distinguished. the
person of the monarch must always be the
same. The rules OF succession are identical
in the two countries. The monarch, al
though free to abdicate entirely, is not at
liberty to leave one throne and keep the
other. AS regards his functions, the EN-
peror-king has the command Of the joint
army and navy; supervises the administers
ton of matters common to both countries,
aud has power to make ordinances with re-
spect to them. For the direct control of
these matters he appoints three joint Minis
tiers, respectively set over foreign affairs,
war, and finance. We should add that his
consent is required for the validity of any
act of the joint legislature.
This joint Legislature, the deliberative
body of the dual monarchy, Is one of the
most extraordinary Of political inventions,
and yet it has worked with tolerable
smoothness for nearly thirty years. 1t con-
sists of two delegations, one from Austria,
the other from Hungary, each composed OF
sixty members. of whom twenty are chosen
by the upper and forty by the lower house
of the Parliament pertaining to each coun-
try. The delegates are elected annually,
and they must be by the En-
peror to meet at least once a year. In every
thing that relates to their sessions and pro-
cedure the most scrupulous regard is
paid to the equality of the two countries.
Their meetings, for example, are held alter
nately at Vienna and Budapest, and tine
proposals of the Government are laid before
both bodies at the same time. In the Aus
trian delegation all the proceedings are in
German; in the Hungarian, in Magyar, en-
cept that the Croats, of whom there must
be five in the hungarian delegation, are al
lowed to use their own tongue. All COM
munications between the two delega-
tions are made in both languages. 1t
seems to have been the object of the
Hungarian statesmen not only to maintain
the equality OF the two nations, but TO
prevent them from fusion, and to avoid
even the appearance of a common
Parliament, for the delegates debate and
vote separately, except in a single case. II