The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-25
The Race Question in Austria.

According to q telegram from Vienna,
tho Hungarian Prime Minister has intro
duced a bill in the Diet at Budapest which
gives the Austrian or Cis-Leithan kingdom
four months in which to renew the financial
and commercial compacts between the two
halves of the Hapsburg monarchy. If this
bill is passed the Emperor, FRANCIS JOSEPH, |
will have a brief respite In which to solve
or try to solve the race question, the most
burning issue in the Cis.Leithan kingdom,
which, by keeping the Reichsrath in confu-
sion. has prevented the ten-year treaties
with Hungary from being renewed.
In order to understand the existing stu.
alton in the Cis-Leithan kingdom, which
for brevity we shall call Austria, it is nee
essary to keep in view it's peculiar geogra-
ply and ethnology. The official name, by
the way, of this half of the dual monarchy
IL "the%k kingdoms and lands represented in
the Reichsrath," a name which. in itself,
bears witness to the total want of organic
unity. By Mr.. A. LAWRENCE LOWELL,
who has made the Hapsburg possessions
ale subject Of careful study, Austria is de-
0cribed as a residuum, consisting of all the
territory which belonged to the HAPs-
BuRGs at the time of the compact made
with Hungary in 1867, and did not
then form q part of that kingdom. The
country has a most irregular outline, touch
ing, as 1t does, the Lake of Constance on the
west, extending on the north into the
heart Of Germany by means of the kingdom
of Bohemia, stretching one long arm east
ward through Galicia above and even he
yond Hungary, and another arm far to the
south, along the coast Of the Adriatic.
A rough idea of the number of distinct
races In Austria can be gathered from the
fact that OF the assembling of the Reichs.
rath or Parliament it has been found
necessary to administer the oath in eight
different languages. These include, how.
ever, only a small part of the tongues and
dialects spoken in the land. Neverthe.
less, only five Of the many races that in
habit Austria are important enough to
exercise a marked influence on politics.
These are, first, the Germans, who, accord
ing to the census of Dec. 81, 1890. number
s.461 $50; they are scattered more or less
thickly all over the country, and they pre-
dominate along the Danub and in the
provinces Immediately to the south of it.
The next most powerful race is that o.
the Bohemians, or Czechs. who number
6,472,S71, and compose q majority of thu
y people In Bohemia and Moravia. Their
come the Poles, who form a compact mas
In Galicia; Of these there are 3,719,232
. IN the fourth place should be put tn,
6lowenians and other Slavu, living chief,
In the southern provinces, In the direction
Of Trieste; these, including e section of tn
Croats and Serbs, number more thar
100000. We have, lastly, the Italians
of whom there are 675 900, to he found II
the seaports along the Adriatic and in tn
southern parts Of the Tyrol.
Each OF these five races 10 cot only anS
lou to be entirely free from control by tn
others, but, II strong enough, would like t
exercise supremacy itself. The most power
full, the most widespread and the richest O
them, Is the German, which assumes tina
the whole Of Austria is, or ought to be,
German country. The other races, OF course
do not agree with the assumption that Aul
tria Is essentially German. The most in
portant of the non-German constituents {
the population, because the most numerou
and the most aggressive, Is that OF tn
Czechs Of Bohemia and Moravia. Thes
formerly were weakened by a QUAR-,
among themselves, the men of moderal
and aristocratic views, or Old Czechs, 4
they were called, being opposed bitter
by the men of more violent and den
ocratic opinions, known as the Your
Czechs. The latter have had the upp,
hand since 1890, when the Old Czecl
aGrOsd to . compromise on the ra