The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-16
Asras Fighting Legislators Win Assemble Again Soon

form of argument they show great in
genuity in obstructing peacefully. One
method is to burden the parliament
with needless and meaningless work
to bring in bills, resolutions and r.
terpellations which have no other use
than as substitutes for oaths and ink,
bottles. On November 8, 1910, the Gef-
man minority in the newly opened
Bohemian landtag introduced 143 "urg-
ent" resolutions. and over 200 petitions
Not one of the resolutions or petitions
WAS urged and most of them were
frivolous and even nohsen steal. The
landtag had TO adjourn for a week
while a commission went through the
pile of absurd documents. A year be-
fore the same method was used in the
reiehsrat to prevent the voting Of
money for the annexation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina. The Czech radicals
who particularly hated Premier Bien
erth, carried through this piece of OBJ
struetlon Fifty-seven of the petitions
which they brought in were described
as urgent" One of them concerned
the transport of hay crops on the state
railways; another dealt with a ten
year-old lawsuit against the state; a
third with municipal rights to con-
struct bathing houses. This work of
obstruction was successful: il led to
a debate which lasted without break
for sc hours. The majority then re-
solved to fight the obstruction; and
resolution was passed giving the speak
er the right to postpone the discus
sion of urgent" matters till the end
of the days sitting. A few days later
a Slav deputy, being incensed because
his five frivolous petitions were post
poned, hurled a cane at an opponents
head
The Young Czech leader, Kramarz,
who is one of the greatest of the more
peaceful obstructiontsits.s lately recalled
the following cases offviolence which
had taken place in his own memory as
a parliamentarian: Striking a member;
tearing off members collar; throw
ing q missile from the balcony, to
which member went specially in or
der to aim better; hurting a tin can;
fighting with fists, and taking off a
boot in order to throw 1t at a speaker.
He added that he remembered seven
pitched battles in the reiehtag. Alto
gether 80 duels have been fought in
the last 40 years over reiehsrat quar-
rels. Rows in the Hungarian diet have
accounted for Is recent duels. The last
was that of the speaker. Count Stephan
Tsza who disposed in terrific sword
duel of his own lSinsman, Count Michael
Karolyl.
Herr Boehms affirms that despite rows
and obstruction, nearly all resulting from
iaClai. Quarreis, tne standard or manners
and talent in the Vienna and provincial
pariaments is higher than In any other
continental legislature. The speeches are
FAR above those delivered in the Berlin
reiehstag, and "the private relations be-
tween members who have kicked and
torn enc another are often friendly and
touching. The rechsrat has distinctly
improved in manners and eIoquence; but
1t has distinctly got worse as regards vio-
lence." Naturally, then. Austria is ex-
pecting lively times this year, and a ter
rihc amount OF eloquenee and ink (spilt
in mid air) is likely to be shed. That ia
the result of having a parliament whose
members speak seven different tongues
Some, however. claim that the seven
different tongues prevent worse ills, per-
haps murders. If you are physically IN
ferior TO your enemy, YOU can always
call him names in a dialect which he
does not understand, and thus escape
ehastisement.