Schmachvolle Scenen | 08 Dec. 1897
Der fortschritt. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.), 08 Dec. 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89064940/1897-12-08/ed-1/seq-10/>
The following article presents a detailed account of a sitting of the Austro-Hungarian Parliament ("Reichsrat") on 26th November 1897. The debate was repeatedly interrupted by shouting, name-calling, and other disruptive behaviour displayed by various members of parliament. The police tried to intervene but was equally met with loud resistance. On the same day, protests took place in front of the Parliament Building which lasted into the night.
Mark Twain was among those visitors to the Parliament who had to leave the building due to the general unrest when the sitting was interrupted. He had watched previous debates and wrote about one of his visits in his essay "Stirring Times in Austria".
Only the last paragraph of the text is translated below as it is the only part that mentions Mark Twain explicitly.
| Transcription | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Schmachvolle Scenen | Disgraceful scenes |
| Ueber die skandalösen Vorgänge im Reichsrath zu Wien am 26. v. M. berichtet das Kabel: Die Unruhen im Abgeordnetenhause des Reichsrathes erreichten heute einen so hohen Grad, daß eine große Abtheilung der Polizei beordert wurde, um die Ordnung in dem Sitzungssaale aufrechtzuerhalten. | Reports about the scandalous events in the Reichsrath in Vienna on the 26th of last month arrived via cable: "The unrest in the Abgeordnetenhaus of the Reichsrath reached such a high level today that a large division of the police was called in to maintain order in the chamber. |
| ... | ... |
| Unter denen, welche von der Gallerie vertrieben wurden, befand sich auch Herr Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain). | Among those who were driven from the gallery was Mr. Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain). |