The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1907. THE AUSTRIAN ELECTIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14427, 18 July 1907, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1907. THE AUSTRIAN ELECTIONS.

The correspondent who writes to us complaining of tho scant attention given to tho results ,of tho recent general election in Austria has no doubt a legitimate grievance against the cable agent. But oven in London the polling seems to have been treated as news of minor importance. Tho bare results, showing the strength of each group, are naturally impressive from a Socialist point of view, but they do not convey a great deal of intelligible information to the average reader. Wo shall still have to wait a little for the results of the last of tho second ballots, but tho returns available are sufficiently complete , to indicate tho condition of public opinion in the country. These elections were tho first held under tho new suffrage laws, which gave Austria manhood suffrage, and they show positively that the old lleichsrath was quite out of sympathy with tho masses of the people. The first important effect of the electoral reforms has been to check the various national movements and to group tho members of the Chamber according to political principles rather than races. Two great groups now face one another,

the Social Democrats and the ClericalsFrom tho bare figures it would appear that the Social Democrats with eightythree seats and the Christian Socialists with sixty-seven would give the Socialist forces a position of considerable strength, even in a Chamber of 455 deputies. These groups should be able to compel the Chamber to give Its first attention to social reform. The two parties differ little in their immediate programmes. Both complain of tho unjust incidence of taxation and propose to establish a progressive income tax and progressive death duties witli tho object of relieving the workers of their heavy burdens. Both advocate tho reduction of the term of military service, and denounce Ihe excessive militarism of tho State. But the Christian Socialists are clericals and will group with the Conservatives. Tho Social Democrats demand the separation of Church and State and free, secular schools, with tho secularisation of marriage and divorce laws. They stand, of course, for advanced industrial legislation and the eight-hour working day. Their sudden rise from a party of eleven to a party of eightythree shows at once how very unpopular was the old system of administration. The Christian Socialists owe their advance from twenty-six to sixtyseven to the niiddler-class vote in and around Vienna. “ They originally represented,” said a .correspondent of a London journal, discussing Austrian politics, “ the animosity of the Viennese skilled artisan and small tradesman against the middleman who had exploited him, and the wealthy Jewish bourgeoise who had monopolised the government of the Austrian capital ” Immediately after tho declaration of the polls it was announced that the Conservative Catholics, numbering twenty-nine, had amalgamated with the Christian Socialists, giving them a direct voting strength of ninety-six, and when the Czech, Slovene, Italian and Galician clericals are added this bloc should have more than 150 votes. With the allies to be gathered from the many smaller racial groups, indeed, the Young Clericals may have an absolute majority in the Chamber, and it is probable that they will largely control the course of legislation. With so powerful and determined a minority against them, however, it is unlikely that they will raise religious issues or will attempt to strengthen their hold over the schools. At present the parish priest may give religious instruction to scholars during school hours for two hours a week, and the Clerical party may obtain many financial and other advantages from the authorities without the intervention of tho Reichsrath. To attempt legislation for the purpose of extending these privileges would probably make tho education system the burning question in'the country, and secularisation has many friends among the masses in Austria. Seeing that tho two main parties in the Chamber are pledged to carry social reforms,. however, it is almost certain that industrial, fiscal and allied questions will chiefly occupy the attention of the deputies. Austria, like so many other countries, has felt the influence of the world-wide constitutional reform movement, and the liberalisation of tho franchise is really only a step towards complete popular Government. The fate of the bureaucratic system of administration is sealed, and tho number of its remaining years will depend only on the readiness with which the Government accepts tho demands of tho people’s representatives. Austrian politics, with manhood suffrage and direct and secret voting by ballot, must become increasingly interesting.