ere quite prepared to enter into negotiations. They did not wish to lose
the opportunity which now was open to them of winning influence over the
administration. What they required was further concession as to the
language in Bohemia. [Sidenote: The language ordinances of 1897.] In May
1897 Badeni, therefore, published his celebrated _ordinances_. They
determined (1) that all correspondence and documents regarding every matter
brought before the government officials should be conducted in the language
in which it was first introduced. This applied to the whole of Bohemia, and
meant the introduction of Czech into the government offices throughout the
whole of the kingdom; (2) after 1903 no one was to be appointed to a post
under the government in Bohemia until he had passed an examination in
Czech. These ordinances fulfilled the worst fears of the Germans. The
German Nationalists and Radicals declared that no business should be done
till they were repealed and Badeni dismissed. They resorted to obstruction.
They brought in repeated motions to impeach the ministers, and parliament
had to be prorogued in June, although no business of any kind had been
transacted. Badeni had not anticipated the effect his ordinances would
have; as a Pole he had little experience in the western part of the empire.
During the recess he tried to open negotiations, but [v.03 p.0036] the
Germans refused even to enter into a discussion until the ordinances had
been withdrawn. The agitation spread throughout the country; great meetings
were held at Eger and Aussig, which were attended by Germans from across
the frontier, and led to serious disturbances; the cornflower, which had
become the symbol of German nationality and union with Germany, was freely
worn, and the language used was in many cases treasonable. The emperor
insisted that the Reichsrath should again be summoned to pass the necessary
measures for the agreement with Hungary; scenes then took place which have
no parallel in parliamentary history. To meet the obstruction it was
determined to sit at night, but this was unsuccessful. On one occasion Dr
Lecher, one of the representatives of Moravia, spoke for twelve hours, from
9 P.M. till 9 A.M., against the Ausgleich. The opposition was not always
limited to feats of endurance of this kind. On the 3rd of November there
was a free fight in the House; it arose from a quarrel between Dr Lueger
and the Christian Socialists on the one side (for th