The San Francisco call., 1897-11-25
Quarter of an Hour of Pitched
Battle Between the In
furiated Factions.
BIILINGSGATE CLOGS THE
ATMOSPHERE.
Revolt Against Making the CzsCh
Language Coordinate With
German in Bohe mia.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL

! VIENNA, Nov. "a The mem bers of
he lower house of the Reichsrath to-day
excelled themselves in producing the
most disgraceful scene yet witnessed in
that branch OF Parliament
The turbulence resulted from a motion
that only onn of a mum ber of similar petit
tions against the ordinance making the
Czech language coordinate with the Ger
man in Bohemia should be read and
printed.
This order of the Government has been
the basis of many uproarous scenes
which have been described in these d;s-
patches for mum Der of weeks past. al
though the question OF renewing the COM
pact between Austria and Hungary.
Professionally at least, has been mixed up
in all the bitter feeling manifested by the
German and anti-German element. The
members of the Left party protested up
roariously to-day against the motion re-
ferred 10, stigmatizng it as Oppressive
and illegal"
Finally the members of the lower house
became so disordorlv that the president of
that body, Dr. Abrahamovich, was once
more compelled to suspend the sitting,
and he oon afterward left the house.
The departure of President Abraham
ovich was the signal for a scene of the
widest disorder. DR.. Wolff, the German
Nationalist leader clam bered up into the
presidents tribune, seized a heavy bell
and swung it to and fro, materially in
creasing the disorder prevailing. The
bell, however, almost i'm mediately
wrenched from Dr. VOLTS hands bv
in progress, challenges TO fight duels ami
showers of BhIingsgate and other insults
were exchanged on all sides, until the in
terror of the house in every way resem
bled a. Inferno.
number of young Czechs and Poles
made rush for the presidents tribune
ana attempted to tear DR.. Wolff down
from the posiuon which he occupied, and
they in turn were attacked by mum Der
of Leftists, and a disgraceful scrmmage
was the result. This was only the begin
ming of the fighting. During the prelimi-
nary scuffiing some of the young Czechs
struck Dr. Wolf, and this caused such an
uproar that regular pitched battle with
tisticuffs followed, lasting for ABOUT a
quarter of an hour.
Herr Schoenerer the leader of q section
of the German opposition, caught hold OF
and brandished over his head one of the
Ministers armchairs, and was evidently
about to hurl 1t at the heads OF his m m e.
diate opponents, when he was seized and
disarmed by Herr Hagenhofer.
By This time the disorder was OF such
nature that even the public in the gal
Ieries cried shame upon he fighting,
swearing and Understanding Deputies
Polish member, Herr Polacz, rush ed
upon another mem Der, Herr Pferche, and
was nearly strangling him. when Herr
Pferche, on the impulse of the moment.
drew penknife from his pocket and
opened it, but he was disarmed by col
league before any further harm was done.
Herr Pferche was bv this time so ex-
hausted by the choking g had received
at the hands of Herr Polacz and so over
come with excitement that he tainted,
still further adding to the sensation.
At this moment President Abrahamo-
v.Ch returned to the house, but after re-
peated and vain efforts to quel the oisor-
der prevailing, he closed the sitting of the
house. In so doing the president said:
In view of the acts of violence which
have occurred In the house to-day, | con-
s der it my duty to close this sitting
Will those mem bers who are willing to
give me the names of the violent mem bers
please come to my ofiice?'
Several me mbers OF the House ACCEPTED
the invitation of the President, aud : d
result it Is believed that Herren Shoe
nerer, Wolff and Pferche will be arrested
uron the charge of fighting in public.
The House viii meet again to- morrow