New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-09

of no place superior to pandemonium. sucn
things are substantially all the Reichsratn mas
done for weeks past. For the sake or the Con
sttution which 1t disgraces and OF the Empire
whose integrity 1t menaces, that wretched BODY
should be dismissed at the earliest possible mo-
ment The only essential work there Is Tor II
to do is the provisional renewal or the Aus
glech. There Is no assurance that II would DO
il II it were kept in session until doomsday,
while its delay and h1ggling over 1t are having
the worst possible effect upon Austrian reia-
tons with Hungary The job can be done by
imperial decree far more expedtiously and
with far more dignity, and therefore win
far better impression upon Austrias political
partner.
That the Reichsrath is not to be dissolved, but
merely prorogued is significant. Were 1t dis
solved another would have to be elected In its
place. That is something the Emperor nntu-
rally shrinks from. because the new body would
almost certainly be as discOrdant and unwOrka-
bic as the present. 1t would be rash to say
it could possibly be worse. But whatever IT
was. It would have 10 be tried, and that would
mean change Of Ministry and a long cam
paign of disorder and violence, and another
coup d'etat 1t seems wiser to let the present
Reichsrath remain In existence. AS long as 1t
IS in existence there can be no demand for the
election of another and the Emperor cannot be
charged with actually abolshing Parliamentary
government Perhaps after some months, or
even a year or two. Of suspension the brawlng
Deputies may be brought to more just ap
probation OF their duties to the nation, and be
ready TO reassemble and act as rational men
and serious lawmakers II not, 1t may pe that
xx.ill ny
TO a frame Of mind in which 1t will be moved
TO elect more creditable body Of public SER
wants. 1t Is to be observed that the state OF
siege which Count Thun established and main
tanned In Bohemia had n salutary effect Per
haps a general state of siege, or at any rate an
era Of imperial rule. throughout the whole En-
pire will prove equally beneflcent.
If not. there will still remain open 10 the
Emperor the one decisive course of revolution
izing the suffrage so as to make 1t a popular
right instead Of a class or caste privilege Al
present the lower house Of the Reichsrath is
chosen in four groups. One group OF NJ mem-
bers is elected by the great landowners; an
other Of 81 members by the Chambers OF Com
mcrce of the Empire: a third Of lis members,
BY townspeople who pay 80 florins each IN
direct taxes. and the fourth, OF 100 members,
ny country lOlk WHO pay sucu taAcs. i"'i' "''
thus ONLY about 700 600 voters in n total popu-
lation of over "a 900 oOo and they are compelled
TO vote as members Of castles rather than as sub
iects or citizens of the Empire as whole.
Naturally the Rclchsrath fails to be mperially
representative, and is split into warning rae
tons. If the present restricted suffrage were
retained but tho class SYSTEM abolished. so that
each OF the 100000 would vote for repre-
sentative of the Empire and not OF particu-
lar class, the case would be much improved. II
the suffrage were extended on those lines so as
to make it as nearly universal az the intelli-
gence and thrift of the people justify. there
would be a peaceful revolution OF the most
salutary kind. and the imperial Government
would probably find itself supported in the
Relchsrath by n strong harmonious and pro-
cressive majority party something Il never yet
I hac N,