The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-29
'AUSTRIANS ASK BALLOT Impressive Demonstration
 in Vienna. EMPEROR SEES DISPLAY Parliament Opens While inc
 Workmen Parade Troops and Police Held In Rea4i.ess = onsll Any Disorders, Bat sAe
 Day Passes Without
 Bloedshed.
EMPEROR SEES DISPLAY

Vienna. Nov. 2s.--The Austrian par lament opened today one of the most important sessions In it's history as 1t will have to decide the question of suffrage and the nations attitude to- wards Hungary, and as the members took their seats a monster popular pro- cession variously estimated t0 number from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand workingmen wa parading past the parliament bufldinx in silent, orderly. impressive array, thus voicing their universal demand for equal and universal suffrage
 Disorders had been seriously pre- dicted for today. Practically every store was closed and the iron shutters were down. The authorities had strong forces of police. cavalry and infantry ready tv maintain order, but the day has up to the present time passed quietly.
 The demonstrators were forbidden by their leaders. to sing or shout, to obey orders strictly, but their demands were emphasized as hour after hour tens of thousands marched past the parliament buildings with red flags and banners bearing inscriptions imperatively de- manding equal, direct and. universal suffrage.
 Emperor Watches Demsnstrasfs~.
 Emperor Francis Joseph spent the day at the Vienna palace from the wins dows Of which he could witness the ai- lent dehling of his people. Premier Baron Gautch von Frankenthurn mean while was laying before the deputies the governments bill providing for equal suffrage.
 Every Austrian male over 24 years old has vote, but the voters are di- vided into five classes ard the votes cast by certain classes, notably ahN landed proprietors. various chambers of commerce and urban dweliera are infinitely more effective in securing tho election of & deputy than the votea cast by the ordinary people. to the ex@ tent even that sometimes dozen land- owners votes count as much as 3o0.eoo votes cast by ordinary people.
 The result of this system is that the wealthy classes can secure DariIamenf@ ary protection and favorEtism at the expense of the masses. Consequentlx the masses arc demanding the aboii- ton of all suffrage privileges enjoyed at their expense. The movement ap- plies only to Austria. Suffrage in Hungary is provided for by the recent Ferjervary Kristoffys program, and the opposition of the united coalition party in Hungary to this program because 1t does not grant the use of Hungarian words of command in the Hungarian section of the army today stands alone between the Hungarians and the enioy- meut of suffrage.
 Will He Fought by Germans.
 There is much fear in Austria that the new suffrage may deprive the Ger man element in Austria of its long-heId political leadership in national affairs. On this basis there is reason to believe that the suffrage bill will be bitterly att tackled by the German deputies who constitute 306 members out Of & total of 425
 The Germans are followed by the Czechts, with eighty-seven members. The Government bill. however, while abolishing the existing suffrage privi- leges, provides a clear system for de- termining the number of Deputies re- turnable by the various provinces on the bases of the number of inhabitants and the total amount of taxation paid In each province, by which the Ger mans will still have 202 members and the Czechs ninety-four
 Under this new system, the number of Polish, Italian, Croatian, Rouman- ian and German Deputies will be di- while the Czech, Ruthians and slavonians will be augmented.