ANTI-SEMITIC CRUSADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 13

ANTI-SEMITIC CRUSADE.

Vienna, April 15. The Emperor has sanctioned the election of Dr Lueger ai mayor oj Vienna.

Dr Lueger, who is leader of the Anti-Semitic party, was elected to the position last joar, bub the Emperor intervened. On a fresh election being held Dr Lueger was again elected, but, at the request of the Emperor, he agreed to stand aside for 12 months The Anti-Semitic party are very strong in Vienna, and have a majority both in the Town Council and the Diet. They aim at excluding Jews from all public offices, and from the numerous chairs they occupy at tbe universities and other educational institutes. Th 9 celebrated medical faculty at Vienna, they complain, is "tainted" by the Jews. The majority of the professors belong to the Hebrew people, the newspapers are mostly written by Jews, and most of the wholesale and retail trade is in their bands. Of the one and K-half million inhabitants of tbe capital about 120.000 are Jews. But of the 4000 doctor* half are Jews, and of the 800 lawyers about 500 belong toJLord Beacon«field's "superior race." Of what the Anti-Semitic party have done since they got the upper hand the Vienna corespondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes :—": — " Their fii-tt act was to cvi; down in the Budgat an item cf £12,500 for • school requisites for poor school children ' by £800. Ju»t so the items for building new schools, for the supply of drinkiDg water, for almhouses, the feeding and nur-iug of the poor sick, and for widening the streets, were considerably reduced. Now they arc about to reduce teachers' salaries. Workmen and teachers are infused the use of the rooms at the Town Hall where they used to hold their meetings. The Jewish shorthand writers to the Diet were dismissed. Jews cannot get places in the municipal administration, and are excluded from supplying goods to, building, and doing other work for the municipality. Ths Vienna Volunteer First Aid Society, a model philanthropic institution which has served most towns ia Europe for a pattern, was refused its customary modpsb nnuual subvention of somewhat more than £1000 because mo3t of the dectors were Jew?, but tbey gave their serves graf.i, be it remarked. On the othmr hand, the Town Council voted almost £20,000 for churches, conventual schools, and church societies. Those are but samples. That is the spirit in which the administration of this metropolis is carried on. It is, in fp.ct, a struggle against education and culture that this remarkable parby, which calls itself Christian-Social, i has inscribed on its banner."