68 



A USTRIA-HUNGARY. 



Conservatives. When Parliament opened there 

 was no precedent of procedure for a situation so 

 anomalous. A fierce and protracted debate over 

 the addresses in reply to the speech from the 

 Throne was in prospect, when Dr. Smolka, the 

 President, left the chair to convey to the House 

 Count Taaffe's plain admission that he had no 

 majority, and to beg that controversial matters 

 be waived and the address confined to a simple- 

 expression of thanks to the Throne. This pro- 

 posal was unanimously agreed to, the Young 

 Czechs alone reserving the right to bring for- 

 ward their special grievances on some future oc- 

 casion. Notwithstanding this, they were taunted 

 by the Old Czechs, who are as strongly Nation- 

 alistic as themselves, but are Conservatives in- 

 stead of Democrats. The speech with which the 

 Emperor had formally opened the Reichsrath on 

 April 11 contained a copious list of legislative 

 proposals. Vienna was promised a metropolitan 

 railroad. Notice was given of the purchase of 

 several private railroads by the Government. 

 Credits were required for the embankment of 

 rivers to prevent floods. A project for the com- 

 pulsory insurance of dwelling houses against 

 fire was mentioned. The reduction of freight 

 rates on state railroads was recommended. The 

 codification of the criminal laws and reforms in 

 civil procedure were declared to be urgent. The 

 establishment of a medical faculty in the Uni- 

 versity of Lemberg was announced. The lapsing 

 treaties of commerce the Government aimed to 

 renew simultaneously and for a long term of 

 years. An appeal was made to the parties to 

 co-operate harmoniously. The international 

 situation was said to justify belief in the wish 

 of all European states to live in peace one with 

 another. Before the general discussion of the 

 budget, which took the place of the debate on 

 the address, was concluded, Count Taaffe suc- 

 ceeded in welding together a working majority, 

 consisting of the Poles, the German Left, and 

 about 30 Moderate Conservatives. No change 

 in the Cabinet was made during the summer 

 session, which ended on July 16. One of the re- 

 forms in criminal procedure proposed was to give 

 the courts power to try cases of extortion with 

 closed doors, in order that victims of blackmailers 

 may not be deterred by the dread of publicity 

 from making complaints. The question of in- 

 demnifying persons unjustly condemned was 

 made the subject of a debate. The system of 

 civil procedure in Austria has long been ad- 

 mitted by every one to be faulty, but lawyers 

 can not agree on the best system to be adopted. 

 The Minister of Justice introduced bills to re- 

 move some glaring defects in the existing laws. 



The prospect of the admission of German Lib- 

 erals into the councils of the Government inten- 

 sified the irritation of the Young Czechs, who 

 embraced the occasion of the National Bohemian 

 Exhibition, held during the summer at Prague, 

 to organize Panslavist demonstrations. The 

 Germans of Bohemia had already attached a 

 political character to this exhibition of Bohe- 

 mian products by ostentatiously abstaining from 

 taking part. 



The Labor Question. The Socialistic work- 

 ing-men's party polled very few votes in the gen- 

 eral election. The 1st of May passed without 

 disorder, though many meetings Were held in 



Vienna and elsewhere, at which an eight-hour 

 law, universal suffrage, and a free press were de- 

 manded. Strikes had broken out in the coal 

 mines of Silesia, which were followed in a few 

 days by riots that were suppressed by the troops. 

 On June 9 the exceptional law of 1884, authoriz- 

 ing the Government to make domiciliary searches, 

 confiscate letters, dissolve meetings, and order 

 arrests without judicial warrant in Vienna and 

 the suburbs of Wiener Neustadt and Kronen- 

 burg was abrogated by imperial decree, though 

 the right of trying persons accused of revolu- 

 tionary offenses by special tribunals without a 

 jury was continued in force. 



Hungary. The Hungarian Parliament legis- 

 lates for all the dominions of the crown of St. 

 Stephen and for Croatia-Slavonia except in mat- 

 ters reserved for the Provincial Diet. It is com- 

 posed of the House of Magnates, reformed in 

 1885, and the House of Representatives, consist- 

 ing of 453 deputies elected for Hungarian dis- 

 tricts and municipalities by direct suffrage, and 

 40 delegates for Croatia and Slavonia. The min- 

 istry, which is responsible to Parliament, is com- 

 posed of the following members : President of 

 the Council, Count Julius Szapary, who assumed 

 office on March 7, 1890, as the successor of Kolo- 

 man Tisza; Minister of Finance. Dr. Alexander 

 Wekerle, appointed April 9, 1889 ; Minister of 

 National Defense, or Honved Minister, Baron 

 Geza Fejervary ; Minister ad latus, or near the 

 King's person, Ladislaus de Szogyenimarich, ap- 

 pointed in December, 1890 ; Minister of the In- 

 terior, Count Julius Szapary, appointed in April, 

 1890; Minister of Education and Public Wor- 

 ship, Count Albin Szaky; Minister of Justice, 

 Desiderius de Szilagyi, appointed April 9, 1889 ; 

 Minister of Industry and Commerce, Gabriel de 

 Baross, appointed Dec. 21, 1886 ; Minister of 

 Agriculture, Count Andreas Bethlen, appointed 

 in April, 1889 ; Minister for Croatia and Sla- 

 vonia, Emerich de Josipovich, appointed Aug. 

 23, 1889. 



Finance. The budget estimates for 1891 give 

 the revenue from the different branches of the 

 Administration as follows : 



SOURCES OF REVENUE. Florins. 



State debts 4,491,579 



Accountant-General's office 1 ,895 



Ministry ad latits 600 



Ministry of the Interior 1,136,870 



Ministry of Finance 272,791,443 



Ministry of Commerce 69,896,086 



Ministry of Agriculture 13,062.918 



Ministry of Worship and Instruction 1,000,684 



Ministry of Justice 792,958 



Ministry of Defense 815,300 



Ordinary revenue 363.490,338 



Transitory revenue 5,518,245 



Total revenue 369,008,588 



The expenditure under various heads for 

 1891 was estimated as follows : 



HEADS OF EXPENDITURE. Florins. 



Civil list 4,650,000 



Cabinet. Chancery 75,252 



Parliament 1,265.310 



Quota of common expenditure 28,873,985 



Pensions 6,733.208 



National debt 119,524,751 



Guaranteed railroad debts 10,773,318 



Guaranteed interest 1,854,566 



Administration of Croatia 6,254.325 



Accountant-General's office 110,100 



Minister- Presidency 886,180 



