New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-13
lTNTRTl'S czech M LER.

The new Ministry in Austria means business.
OF that there is no room for doubt. The name
of the Prime Minister Is proof OF II. -Four
members Of the former Ministry remain with
four new colleagues below the head Their
names are without special significance to Ameri-
can readers The importance OF the change
resides solely in the identity Of the new Prime
Minister. He Is well known here and the world
over and his accession TO office is an epoch
making incident few years ago Austria had
an Irish Prime Minister in the person of Count
TaaCfe Then she tried in succession two Ger
mans. Prince WindischGrtz and Count kiol-
manscgg. Next came a Pole. Count Hadeni.
He cave place TO another German. Baron
t;au,sch And now in the person Of the for
midahlo Count Thun shn takes one from among
these prime troublers OF the Empire the Czechs.
on the face of IT, it Is mnch as though at the
height Of the Irish Home Rule agitation n lead
ing freshman had been made Prime Minister
Of the United Kingdom
Count Thun is n Czech Of the Czcchs, mem
Der Of one Of the Oldest and noblCst families
In bohemia q strong bohemian Nationalist. and
n fc-vent hatcr Of the Germans. lie used TO
he Home Iiul, leader. demanding as a sine
qua non that the Emperor should come 10
the crown Of St WcnCcslaus in the TIradschn
But he is something more than all this. He Is
an honest man and sincere patriot. and per
haps the strongest executive In the whole En-
plre. II was In 1855 that ne was most vlgor
ouSly demanding that Dualism be abolished in
favor Of Federalism. with Bohemia the peer Of
Austria and Hungary. II was IN 1850 that
Count Taanc shocked tia Empire and surprised
Europe by making him Vlceroy Of Bohemia
II was not long aftcrwar1 thar Count Thun
showed Of what stuff ho was made. The
Czcchs had hailed his appointment rs tr
umph for then They would now harry the
Germans all they pleased The Germans re-
gardcd It with despair They were delivered
into the hands Of ihcir enemy. Both soon dis
covered their mistake. The Vccroy held the
balance truc and administered equal justice
When the Czcchs burst all bounds of order he
proclaimed martial law in Prague That made
them more than furious. But they were beat
en- The Omlndna suppressed. the laws
were enforced. order restored
on February Il. 1895. the hour If reckoning
came. IT was In the bohemian L1ndtag. Count
Thun arose to make an official statement con-
corning the course he had pursued. He began
10 speak In German. Instantly bcdlam was
let loose. The Deputies. most Of them Czpchs
rose and howled Ike demons. speak CZrchish
or shut up The presiding officer rang his
bell in vain. It's sound was unhoarl in the
tumnl Count Thun alone was unmOved Not
a nerve quiycrcd. He seemed obllvlous of all
that going on. He simply talked on. Ike
an aulomaton with words each one of which
was like a scourgc Of scorpions The speech
was unhoarl in The Chamber Put next day il
was published in fun I'm every city and town
Of the Empire. and II was the dca IN knell Of the
Young czech party. Count Thun was not mere
" Bohemian. He was the master of Bo-
hernia.
Now he is 70 rule the Empire at Vienna. II
will 10 with a strong hand. he sure Of that
German and czech and Pole may al expect
equal Justice. They may also look for unspaY-
Ing discipline if ever they break the peace or
plot treason against the Empire. There will
he no more srch scenes rs those Of last year
in the Rcchsraih. Tie new ruler will have
none Of Them. He wears glove of velvet but
the hand within - Of tempered and hardened
steel. There could he no better man 70 lead
III" Government ~ these days Of intestine storm
and stress. and that nc has been called TO the
leadership l. promising Of great good 10 the
muchvcXed Empire.