ouses of parliament. The
demonstration made a deep impression upon public opinion. On the same day
the premier promised to introduce by February a large measure of franchise
reform so framed as to protect racial minorities from being overwhelmed at
the polls by majorities of other races. On the 23rd of February 1906 he
indeed brought in a series of franchise reform measures. Their main
principles were the abolition of the _curia_ or electoral class system and
the establishment of the franchise on the basis of universal suffrage; and
the division of Austria electorally into racial compartments within which
each race would be assured against molestation from other races. The
Gautsch redistribution bill proposed to increase the number of
constituencies from 425 to 455, to allot a fixed number of constituencies
to each province and, within each province, to each race according to its
numbers and tax-paying capacity. The reform bill proper proposed to
enfranchise every male citizen above 24 years of age with one year's
residential qualification.

At first the chances of the adoption of such a measure seemed small. It was
warmly supported from outside by the Social Democrats, who held only 11
seats in the House; inside, the Christian Socialists or Lueger party were
favourable on the whole as they hoped to gain seats at the expense of the
German Progressives and German Populists and to extend their own
organization throughout the empire. The Young Czechs, too, were favourable,
while the Poles reserved their attitude. Hostile [v.03 p.0038] in principle
and by instinct, they waited to ascertain the mind of the emperor, before
actively opposing the reform. With the exception of the German Populists
who felt that a German "Liberal" party could not well oppose an extension
of popular rights, all the German Liberals were antagonistic, some
bitterly, to the measure. The Constitutional Landed Proprietors who had
played so large a part in Austrian politics since the 'sixties, and had for
a generation held the leadership of the German element in parliament and in
the country, saw themselves doomed and the leadership of the Germans given
to the Christian Socialists. None of the representatives of the _curia_
system fought so tenaciously for their privileges as did the German
nominees of the _curia_ of large landed proprietors. Their opposition
proved unavailing. The emperor frowned repeatedly upon their efforts.

[Sidenote: Baron Beck pr