66 



AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 



ing. The Socialists, by way of a demonstration, 

 held 21 crowded mass meetings in Vienna in 

 favor of general, equal, and direct suffrage, 

 where resolutions were offered declaring that a 

 condition of things in which two thirds of the 

 population had no political rights could not 

 be maintained permanently, and that the work- 

 ers would no longer submit to political servitude 

 under those who exploited them economically. 



The project of electoral reform put forward 

 by Count Taafe would have extended the fran- 

 chise to every citizen who was able to read and 

 write and hatl fulfilled his military obligations. 

 As this would have damaged the position of the 

 German-Liberal party, its leader. Dr. von Plener, 

 joined with Count Hohenwart, the Conservative 

 leader, and, with the aid of the Poles and the 

 Old Czechs, overturned the ministry. The co- 

 alition ministry that succeeded, when obliged to 

 face the question, sought a solution that would 

 not disturb the existing balance among the na- 

 tionalities. This Prince Windischgratz thinks 

 he has found in the creation of a fifth body of 

 electors, which shall embrace all the working- 

 men of the towns and all the peasants who cul- 

 tivate a plot of ground, however small. The 

 proposed qualifications are membership in any 

 of the mutual-benefit societies that all artisans 

 and factory operatives are obliged by law to be- 

 long to, or the payment for two years of any 

 direct tax whatever, which would practically 

 admit the whole rural population. 



Socialism. The Social Democrats have been 

 gaining rapidly in numerical strength under the 

 impetus of the suffrage agitation, and have late- 

 ly endeavored to indoctrinate and organize the 

 rural workers who are dissatisfied with agrarian 

 conditions. In Vienna even the maidservants 

 have formed a trade union, and throughout the 

 country the female workers are organized gen- 

 erally. The Socialists of Vienna are well disci- 

 plined, and, as a rule, thorough constitutional- 

 ists and upholders of order. Anarchists made 

 few converts except among the Bohemian prole- 

 tariat, till in 1894 a section of the extreme So- 

 cialists declared for anarchy. There was a trial 

 in Vienna, in February, of 3 anarchists who 

 made bombs and distributed incendiary litera- 

 ture, and in August the editors of a paper de- 

 voted to theoretical anarchism were arrested. 

 The peasantry in their meetings demanded, in 

 addition to the right of suffrage, the extension 

 of the laws for the protection of workmen to 

 agricultural laborers, and sometimes the expro- 

 priation of the estates of the nobility and the 

 Church ; ami abolition of all taxes, except a pro- 

 gressive income tax. A series of large strikes 

 occurred in Vienna in the spring. Cabinet- 

 makers and joiners employed on the many new 

 buildings in course of erection went out, and 

 were followed by the masons and carpenters 

 until 50,000 men were made idle. The carpen- 

 ters demanded a minimum daily wage of 2- 

 florins ; others, the shortening of working hours 

 and the abolition of piecework. The conductors 

 and drivers on the street railroads struck in the 

 middle of March, and also the work people in 

 several factories. In May many thousands of 

 coal miners in Silesia went on strike, demand- 

 ing the eight-hour day and a mitigation of the 

 charges of the official mutual-aid societies. At 



the annual assembly of the Social-Democratic 

 party a general strike for the franchise was 

 voted down. May day was celebrated as a labor 

 holiday. In Gratz there was a fight between 

 paraders and the police, which was stopped by 

 the military. The Socialists put forward the 

 following demands: Eight hours as the maxi- 

 mum day's labor in all trades, together with 

 thirty-six hours Sunday rest; the security of 

 the fight of combination, and the abolition of 

 restrictions on the right of public meeting and 

 association, together with the punishment of 

 officials for any illegal hindrances in struggles 

 for wages ; and the abolition of all restrictions on 

 the free expression of opinion in writing or speech. 



The Minister of Commerce promised to bring 

 in a bill to amend the trade laws, in which the 

 protection of the weak would be the first con- 

 sideration, and care would be taken to insure 

 adequate Sunday rest; also a bill to establish 

 labor tribunals with the object of preventing 

 breaches of contract and labor conflicts. Bills 

 have been presented to establish labor bureaus 

 and to create workmen's committees and asso- 

 ciations of masters and men. 



The Czech Movement. In 1894 the state of 

 siege was maintained over Bohemia. A formi- 

 dable revolutionary secret society was broken 

 up just before the beginning of the year, and 

 during the judicial examination a treacherous 

 member, named Rudolf Mrva. was murdered 

 by two of his fellows. The society, which pur- 

 sued Nationalist and anti-dynastic ends, had its 

 origin in a congress of Radical Slav students 

 held in 1890, at Vienna, when an understanding 

 was reached between the students and a large 

 body of workingmen to work together for the 

 federation of the empire and equal rights for 

 all classes. When they organized into a society 

 in 1892 the Stadtholder of Bohemia refused to 

 sanction their rules as submitted to him. and 

 consequently they became an illegal secret society, 

 known as the Omladina, having for its aim the 

 solution of social problems on Nationalist lines. 

 It was organized in groups of 5 members, the 

 head of each group being distinguished as the 

 thumb, while the others were fingers. The chief 

 knew who belonged to the society everywhere, 

 but the subordinate members knew only the few 

 with whom they came into contact. The society 

 had two newspaper organs, and counted among 

 its members numerous journalists as well as 

 students and artisans. They held Republican 

 principles; many were Socialists, some anar- 

 chists. They made demonstrations in favor of 

 an alliance with France and Russia. Some of 

 the young Czech members of the Diet and the 

 Reichsrath were suspected of giving aid and 

 encouragement. The people of Prague and 

 other towns were generally restive under the 

 arbitrary rule of the Stadtholder, and flaunted 

 their anti-German feeling. When spoken to in 

 German they would answer in French or Rus- 

 sian or Latin. The town council had the Ger- 

 man street signs removed and Latin or Greek 

 names put in their places. The council removed 

 the German clerks from the municipal adminis- 

 tration and the post office, and would entertain 

 no petition written in German. They resolved 

 to change the names of streets and squares, but 

 were forbidden by the Stadtholder. 



