The San Francisco call., 1898-12-03
.ASCENDED THE THRONE FIFTY.
 YEARS AG0
 Francis Joseph's Long Y. E. <. Reign.
 JUBILEE FETEs IN AUSTRIA
 POLITICAL OFFENDERS ARE PARDoNED.
 In Gaily Decorated Vienna Special Thanksgiving Services Are =" Held in the Garrison ::*: Church.
JUBILEE FETES IN AUSTRIA
POLITICAL OFFENDERS ARE ..<. PARDoNED.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

:. VIENNA, Dec. 2-Emperor Francis
 Joseph to-day, upon the fiftieth anni-
 yersary of his accession to the throne,
 issued a general order to. the army,
 thanking the soldiers for their loyalty -and. fearless valor throughout his reign and declaring that he would ever look
 upon the army as the shield and pro- tector of the throne and fatherland : Amnesty has been granted to political :. offenders in Hungary, and number of decorations have been gazetted.
 =. All the newspapers, without distinc-
 .tion as to politics, publish articles ex- tolling the Austrian Emperor as the : guardian of European peace.
 =. The day was ushered in with the booming of cannon and a grand revejlle sounded by the bugles of all the regi- ments of the garrison. The city was gaily decorated with flags and the streets were thronged with people
 wearing black and yellow or ed and
 white favors and jubilee medal9. The
 Archduke attended a special. thanks
 giving service in the garrison church.
 The distribution of jubilee medals to the troops followed. Services were also celebrated mother churches, commem- orative meetings were held in .he uni .gersity. schools and there was much re- .joicing throughout the provinces. ..... Reports from all provincial towns of Austria show that the jubilee has been
 faithfully observed, which is also the case throughout Hungary. where the ; day was: celebrated as a general holi- day with 'fetes, processions and illumi- nations this evening.
 Ez1peror Francis Joseph has received .congrat tu1atory. telegrams from most of the crowned heads and at all the Flu ropean capitals the jubilee has been celebrated by embassadorial functions. The illuminations tonight are superb. They: extend into the remotest suburbs of Vienna The effects at the Rathaus and the Commemoration Church are grand. The Emperor's bust or portrait everywhere figures alone and not as formerly, side by: side with that of the Empress Eliza beth. This gives note
 of sadness, which is. heightened by the decorum of demonstrations: usually noisy. Huge crowds are parading the
 streets, but, there: is no shouting and
 very little cheering, the. populaee thus t Indicating. it's sympathy with the Elm +perorS bereavement. .:;.+ "t +*.. <:<". : : i .> BERLIN, Dec 2.-The members of : the United States Embassy attended a ~.Te Deum to-day at St: :Hedwig's Church In honor of Emperor Francis Joseph of
 Austria. Later several were present at
 a reception given. to the Austrians in Berlin, at the .Austro- Hungarian Elm
 bassy. Count won Szoegyeny-Marfch, the Austro- Hungarian Ambassador, in
 the course of a brief speech, alluded in directly } the anti-Austrian feeling en- ~ gendered in Berlin by the recent threats in the Austrian Reichrath of Count :Thun Hohenstein, the Austrian Pre-
 mier, to make reprisals in case the Ger man policy of expelling Austrians from
 Germany was continued :. The *Embas-
 sador said he felt especial satisfaction
 at his .cognizance of the treaty with a.
 mighty. empire which benefits Austria
 and the world and will endure forever" : WASHINGTON, Dec: "A: brilliant
 official and religious service commence
 rative of the fiftieth anniversary. of
 Emperor Francis Joseph's accession to
 the throne of Austria was held at St. :: Matthew's Church to-day. The cere- mony was under the auspices of the
 Austrian legation, and in recognition of
 its: national character President Me i' Kinfey and Secretary Hay were present
 in behalf. of the United States Govern ment while the foreign Governments were represented by the full strength of the diplomatic corps.
 o.. The church was deliberately festooned :' for. the occasion, flowers and potted ,. plants filling the chancel. As the off, ciaI guests arrived they were met by
 the Austrian officials, Baron Reidl and 2 Baron Paumgartten. in the stunning
 uniforms of the Austrian dragons, and ,Dr. .Thodorovich, representing the civil