Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-19
SUFFRAGE IN AUSTRIA
POSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT
ON FRANCHISE BILL.
Special osbl.gr.m to The star.

Special cablegrsm to The Star.
VIENNA. March 19.-The government
position on the franchise bill which pro-
vtdes for general. equal and direct suffrage
for Austria. which was introduced several
weeks ago and which Is going through
the throes of parliamentary travail. is not
generally understood either here abroad
The fundamental Austrian law on parlia-
mentary representation was enacted De-
cember Il, 1857. 1t was amended in 1868
and again in 1872. the principle remaining
unchanged that the chamber OF deputies
should be recruited from the members of
the provincial diets. The deputies num-
bered 2o3. In April, 1873 a radical change
of principle was effected by severing the
connection between the reichsrath and the
provincial diets and by constituting four
categories of reichsrath electors These
categories were: First. the big landlords !;
second. the cities: third. the chambers of
commerce and industry. and fourth, the
rural communes. To each category GER
tain number of seats or legislative man
dates were assigned. The number of depu-
ties was increased to 1853. In 1882 the fran
chise In all the cities and rural communes
was extended to all male citizens assessed
at 81 of direct taxation. In 1896 Count
Badeni reduced this qualification to $3.50
when carrying out his great franchise re-
form. He held fast to the category or
curia system, but created a curta of uni
versal suffrage to which he assigned sew
enty-two new seats. This expedient intro
duced the principle of universal suffrage
but allowed 1t to affect barely one-sixth of
the chamber and checked its operation by
allowing all the voters of the other cate
gories to vote over again in the category
of universal suffrage The present reform
proposes to sweep away the whole cate
CORY or curia system and to place all cleo
lions on the same footing except where
racial considerations neceSSftate Sn6Clll
rangements. The number of seats is raised
from 425 to ass, the new seats, together
with many of the old being redlstr1buted
according to population, taxation and to
some extent educational requirements.
Among the Chief Changes.
The chief changes are in lower Austria,
including Vienna, which gains nine seats:
in Bohemia which gains eight seats, and
In Galicia. which gains ten seats. The Ger
mans keep the 205 seats they have hitherto
possessed. whereas the Czechs gain eleven
OF the new seats, besides nineteen of the
seats hitherto held by the Bohemian con-
sentative landed proprietors. The Poles
gain two seats in Austrian Silesia, and to-
gether with the Ruthenans, ten seats in
Galicia. The Italians and Roumanians lose
one seat each. while the southern Slavs
gain six. In new chamber elected accord
ing to the proposed reform there would be
205 Germans and 80 CZechs
Altogether, according to the bill, the house
will seat 230 Slavs, SO that the Germans
even reckoning in the sixteen Italians and
four Roumanians. will always remain in a
minority. All the agrarians of whatever
party are dissatisfied with the new allot-
ment claiming that the towns have been
favored at the expense of the agricultural
districts.
Every male citizen who has completed his
twenty-fourth year and is not under any
legal disability Is entitled to be registered
as a voter after having resided for one
year in an electoral district Every male
who has possessed Austrian citizenship for
at least three years and has completed the
thrtieth year of his age is eligible for cleo
ton deputy. Voting is direct in all the
provinces. In Galicia, however. there are
to be two deputies for every constituency.
so as to permit of the representation of
racial minorities. a voter can vote for
only one of these deputies.
Agreed to Divide Electorate.
In Moravia. where the Germans and the
Czechs recently agreed to divide the cleo
torate according to race. the constituencies
will be constructed upon this principle of
separation and the same principle will be
introduced into other provinces as soon as
the local parties have come to an agree
ment. In connection with the franchise re-
form bill Baron Gautsch also presented bills
to assure the freedom, purity and secrecy
of the ballot; to amend the existing pro-
visions concerning the immunity of depu-
ties, and to modify the standing orders of
the chamber in such a manner as to pro-
tect urgent government measures against
wanton obstruction.
The pan-Germans alone are showing
real opposition to the bills. 1t Is believed,
however, that other parties Will JOIN them
The Poles are in reality hostile, for uni
versal suffrage threatens the privileges of
Polish gentlemen, and the number OF new
mandates offered to them is considered in
sufficient The Christian socialists are dis
pleased on account of the distribution in
Vienna where after many years the Ger
man liberals have again q prospect Of win
ming seats They also disapprove of the
clause allowing vote after one years con-
tinued residence. Further grounds Of dis
content among the Christian socialists are
provisions in the bill ordering stricter con-
troll over the elections and also an exact ex-
animation of the electoral list.
The newspapers commenting upon the bill
saw that its most interesting feature is that
It marks another great step in the trans
formation of the Austrian empire from
German to a Slav state.