New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-20
ATSTPLA,S RETOLTTION.

There is at present in progress in Austria a
revolution that a few years ago would have
seemed startling and that a generation or two
ago might have provoked intervention by foreign
powers to check it. Yet to-day, while it arouses
much interest of a more or less academic kind,
it produces no political sensation, but is accepted
as a matter Of course. Such circumstances i'm
preSsively indicate the general progress which
Europe has haIf-consciously been making toward
the fullest degree of popular government.
Hapsburg has for generations been a synonyme
for conservatism, not to say reaction. Yet to-
day the head of that house acquiesces in and
indeed actually promotes one of the most rad
zeal changes that our day has seen. and leads his
empire far in advance of the neghbOrng Ger
man states I'm the matter of democratic govern
ment.
The Austrian franchise scheme upon which
the Reichsrath is now celebrating, and which
Is evidently soon to be enacted into law and put
into operation, IS even more radical than the
first announcements indicated 1t was suggest
ed that while suffrage would be made practically
universal a way would be found of assuring the
retention Of a German majority IN the ReiChs-
rath. That scheme if 1t ever was cherished,
has now been abandoned, and the Germans will
have TO stand on no better ground than that Of
their actual numbers, in consequence of which
they will find themselves in a minority, over
Swallowed by the Slavic tribes and races 1t is
not certain that these latter will form a stable
coalition, but if they do they will have n clear
majority over all others The Germans will
retain their present number of seats, 2O5. But
the whole number Of seats viii be increased from
425 to 400, and those thirty new seats will prac-
tically all go to the nOn-GermanS, and chiefly
10 the various Slavic factions so that there will
probably be 90 Czechs, 95 Poles and Ruthenians
and 30 CrOatians Dalmatiaus, SlOvenes and
other Southern Slavs, total of 900 against the
2o5 Germans. There will also be about Il Ital-
ans and 4 Rumanians.
What is most interesting however. is that the
old system Of class voting is to be entirely abol-
shed One man. one vote. is to be the new rule
Every man who is citizen and is twenty four
years old, has lived a year in his electoral dis
trct and is under no legal disabilities is entitled
to cast one direct ballot, and no more; and
every such citizen who is thirty years old is
eligible to election as a Deputy The ballot is
TO be secret and there are to be elaborate pre-
cautions TO assure its purity. In brief it is TO
be genuine universal suffrage Moreover I'm
those regions where there are two races mingled
together there will be two Deputies for each con
stituency, so as 10 assure representation for the
minority race That the extreme Pan-Germans
oppose the measure is natural. seeing that it will
mean the end of German domination. That
many Of the Poles also oppose it is also natural
seeing that they are one of the least demo
cratic of peoples. But it seems to be certain
that the scheme will be enacted and that
new parliament under the new system will he
elected before the end of the present wear
! There viii thus be marked between the earlier
| and the later years of Francis Joseph's reign
1 such a contrast as few. soyereigns have over
/ seen peacefully effected