The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06

they disagree about any measure, and IL
after the third exchange OF communications
an accord il not reached, either delegation
may demand q common session. No debate,
however, Is permitted, and the only bust
ness transacted In Joint session IL the taking
OF q vote on the matter about which the
delegations had failed to agree. 1t is pro-
vided, moreover, that the same number OF
delegates from each country shall take part
in the joint session, the side which has
most members present being reduced by lot
until the two sides are equal.
Az the first glance, this system seems con-
trived to assure to each half Of the monarchy
an equal influence. In reality, 1t gives an
advantage to Hungary. This Is due to the
fact that the Magyars have made them
selves the dominant people in Hungary,
and have stamped out the opposition Of the
other races Except In the case of the Croats),
while the Germans have not done so In Aus
tria. The result is that the Hungarians act
in concert far more than the Austrians, and
1t Is often possible for the MaEyars, when a
joint session is held, to persuade the Poles,
or some other group In the Austrian deleRa-
ton, to vote on their side, and thu give
them q majority. The much greater solidity
of the Hungarian delegation causes the
Joint Ministers to rely upon it for
support, and gives it, in turn, a great
err influence over their policy. This
state of things explains the current saying
that Hungary enjoys seventy per cent. of
the power in the empire for thirty per cent.
of the cost. That she Yields a much larger
share of power than she could claim on the
score Of population or Of wealth, is evident
from the fact that during twenty-one out OF
the t~wenty-nine years that have elapsed
since the union was formed, the foreign
affairs of. the dual monarchy have been in
the charge Of a Magyar. A striking proof OF
Hungary's preponderance was recently fur
nished when a dissension between Baron
BANFFy, the Hungarian Premier, and Count
KALNoKY, the Joint Minister for Foreign
Affairs, compelled the latter to resign.
The delegations can hardly be said to
possess any real Legislative power. The or
ganic compact provides that their COM
petence shall extend to all matters touching
the common affairs; but in practice they
are confined to voting supplies and exerting
a control over the administrations. The
delegations have nothing to do with COM
mercial affairs, including the tariff, or with
legislation about the indirect taxes which
affect industrial production, or with money
and coinage, or with the military system, or
even with railroads which concern the in
terests of both halves Of the realm. The
whole of this class Of subjects, most Of
which in other Federal governments fall
within the province OF the central legisla-
ture, are regulated In the dual monarchy,
not by the delegations, but by concurrent
statutes OF the two parliaments, and thus
nearly everything in the nature of positive
law must be enacted separately in Austria
and Hungary.
We can now see how it comes to pass that
the whole joint legislation Of the dual mon
archy, ruled over by the House Of HAPsBuRG,
is substantially a series Of treaties, partly
permanent and partly temporary, which
cannot be changed or prolonged by any
common legislature, but only by the con-
tracing parties themselves.