The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-06

cost of common administration and
idises the relative quota. Beyond this.
| anu the fact that the ruler occupies the
I same relation to both countries. Their
Is no common government. Austria and
hungary each have a separate minis
t!y OF their own. there is no common
I clt1zenship for the two kingdoms: they
nave each their own pariaments and
lass their own laws, subject to the
sanction of the emperor. Only upon
question of Importance to both countries
40 tney meet in joint sessions. and then,
! without debate, and by a mere absolute
! majority vote, they decide the matter at
| issue.
IL is the reichsrath, the Austrian con-
gress or parliament, in which have oc-
! Cured the troubles of the past few
| days 1t consists of a house of lords
| and house of representatives, the
| former being composed of princes,
! mobiles, archbishops and such ether per
| sons as are especially appointed by the
emperor in recognition of special serv-
ices. while to the other house come rep
| resentatives of the people, elected by a
franchise which rests upon a property
| qualification and which includes women
| among the voters. The emperor calls
and opens the sessions of the reichs-
! rath and may close, adjourn or dissolve
! It. The parliament of Hungary. which
has many of the same general features.
! is called the reichstag
Were Austria and Hungary the only
factors in the problem, its successful
working out to a satisfactory solution
would not be difficult. Bohemia. the
Slavonic wedge thrust in the side of
Germany" the thorn in the side of Aus
ira, the jealous sister of Hungary,
must be taken into consideration
In the Austrian Hungarian scheme of
/ government Bohemia is a nonenity.
! No emperor comes in state to the royal
palaces at Prague, as he goes to Buda-
| pest; no parliament makes her laws
no ministry handles her reins of gov
eminent. AS Hungary has advanced in
| privileges and constitutional liberty,
| the restless, disconnected and envious
Bohemians have become more and more
clamorous for their aut jnomy. Once
kingdom, Bohemia wants to return to
her former condition. and she has been
| nolsily emphatic in her demands. The
| Austrian and German nationalities
turned deaf ear to her impatient and
almost violent demands They added
insult to injury and until the present
ministry came into power. required all
public records in Bohemia to be kept
/ in the German tongue. Against this
the Czechs rebelled, and demanded the
restoration of their language with such
Vlgor that when Count Badeni came
/ into power he reversed the former re-
| qulrement, and once more the curious
| Czech characters We're triumphant over
| the hated German. The Czechs were
appeased, but the trouble, instead of
| being ended, was only aggravated.
The CZechs are the common people,
| tenacious of their traditions. their for
mer greatness and their language. The
| aristCcracy of Bohemia is German
| owning large tracts OF land and there
/ by dominant in the Austrian legisla-
! lure. The concession to the Bohemians,
! a W ll Ok he fo,. haf chi
! ministry included many Germans,
alarmed this powerful German clement.
1 They believed that they were losing
| control. The whole nationality raised
a cry of protest. The majority of the
present parliament supported the min
! fstry. Many questions arose to widen
! the breach, notably the restoration of
! a financial compromise with Hungary
| by which the latter country was to pay
| about one-third of the imperial eX-
| penses. The Germans at once COM
| planned that this was another discrimi-
nation, claiming that the amount was
! grossly disproportionate to the com
paratiVe wealth of the two sections
! The ministry proposed continuance of
! this compromise for another year. Hun
I gary refused to pay larger proper
ton, and in addition demanded the re-
vocation of the concession made to the
Czechs in the question of the official
! language.
The fight grew more and more des-
perate on the part of the German in
! terests. The question was now one of
/ German supremacy. The Tcutons with
| all the stubbornness and forcefulness
| characteristic of their race. combined
to win their battle. They were met by
majority in the reichsrath hostile to
| them. What they could not gain by di-
rect means they endeavored to secure
! through the employment of almost rev.
| dictionary tactics. Their delegates
| adopted a policy of obstruction and de-
| termined to prevent all legislation All
/ the radical German elements as well as
! the conservative German interests,
| combined to assert their supremacy in
! the nation, and together they have as
| t0nished Europe and this country by
| an exhibition of roWdysm which sur
| passes the stormiest incidents of any
| legislative body in the world. All the
| scenes which the Irish members occa-
stoned in parliament. or the dramatic
/ episodes of the F'ifty-first congress in
our own country. are tame in COMPARE
son. The contagion spread among the
| students of the universities and the
lower ranks of the people. creating Il
condition of affairs bordering on re-
\ hellion in the capital and in several
ether cities of Austria and finally reach
! ing point which threatened even the
safety of the crown.
The end is apparently not vet The
Germans. for the time being, have cen
quered. They have forced the retire
ment of a non-German premier and
have secured German M the head of
the government. 1t remains To be seen
what influence this change will have
in pacifying the German people in COM
pelling a larger payment Of imperial
expenses by Hungary. and. above all.
in again driving the 3ohemianS to the
acceptance Of the hatred German Ian
guagc. 1t is not at all likely that the
anti-German nationalities Will accept
with equanimity the present situation.
due to the uproarious and turbulent
overriding of the majority in the reichs-
rath and to the open and violent de-
tiance of the president of thai body
They may be disposed to try similar
tactics. but. in any event The breach
! between the conquefing Teuton and
the independent. hot-hlooded Slav is
widening into a threatening chasm.