WHAT IS THE TROUBLE IN HUNGARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8149, 25 May 1906, Page 3

WHAT IS THE TROUBLE IN HUNGARY.

The cablegrams report that in the recent elections in Hungary the Constitutional party has triumphed. This gives great interest to a statement of the matter in dispute, which Francis Kossuth, the leader of the party, supplies to the London Daily Chronicle. "Ihe conflict between the Emper-or-King Francis Joseph and Hungary," he says, "lone since degenerated into a conflict between Parliamentarism aud the absolute Royal will. "For a long time the EmpworKing was disposed to govern in a - 'Constitutional way, because ever "C- since he agreed to give up the outward signs of autocracy (that is slnoe 1867) the same political party bad permanently been in power in Hungary, a party whose principle it was to have no will except the King's. It became the ABSOLUTE RULE ' that in every single question, even regarding the smallest detail, the Governments which succeeded each other aooepted the Royal commands, and no Bill was ever introduced into Parliament, no Government policy ever adopted, ■ and no act of Government was ever performed, without flist receiving precise orders and inHtruotiona from the King. During the whole period which has elapsed tsince 1867 the majority in Parlia-* ment only once expressed its will, and at first the measure in question was not approved of by the King, but subsequently was allowed to pass; that was the Civil .Marriage Bill. "The very first time the majority in Parliament dared to have an opinion on its own it was at once prevented from forming a Government on the basis of its programme; nay, it was ordered to come into power with the PROGRAMME DICTATED by the King, or if it would not do that Parliament has permanently been prorogued and prevented from sitting, and the whole country governed, extra legem, with the violation of every single constitutional privilege, and the clearest prescriptions of written law. "And now although the majority offered to vote the Budget, grant the recruits, and even the formidable outlay for new artillery, etc, and only asked for the right to prepare a new franchise law on broader basis of suffrage v at present only about one-fifth of the adults have a vote), and then to ask , the nation whether it wishes to •continue the CONSTITUTIONAL FIGHT with autooraoy or to give it up 'for the present, this offer of the Parliamentary majority was aluo rejected, and the King's wish is that Parliament should simply obey. "The majority of Parliament wished the official language of the - Hungarian State to be used in the | Hungarian army, and also for the "' Hungarian flag. "It must be noted that the AustroHungarian monarchy is a dual monarchy, in whiob Austria and Hungary are supposed by law to be absolutely equal in every particular. ''Clearly it was an abuse of power to impose upon Hungary the German language and the Imperial eigle of Austria. "The Hungarian Parliament had bad enough of it and wished the King of Hungary to oommand the Hungarian army in Hungarian. When that was refused we felt about aa English people would feel if the English Army were commanded in French or German. "Austria - Hungary has ceased 4o be one of Great Powers of Europe, and will hot again become one till internal peace has been re-established, not the apparent peace produced by oppression, but the peace produced by the assured feeling that constitutional liberties are safe, and that the law is respected."