Trauriges Schauspiel | 11 Nov. 1897
Süd Dakota nachrichten. (Sioux Falls, Süd=Dakota), 11 Nov. 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn98069093/1897-11-11/ed-1/seq-1/>
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 first and last paragraphs of the text are translated below.
| Transcription | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Trauriges Schauspiel | A sad spectacle |
| Tolle Nacht im österreichischen Reichsrath | Crazy night in the Austrian Reichsrath |
| Die schmachvollsten Scenen, die je ein Parlament erlebt hat | The most disgraceful scenes ever experienced in a Parliament |
| Wien, 8. Nov. In der Samstag-Sitzung der Budget-Commission machte der Finanzminister in ernsten Worten auf die Gefahr einer Suspendirung der Verfassung aufmerksam, die eintreten müsse, wenn der provisorische Ausgleichs-Vertrag mit Ungarn nicht angenommen würde. | Vienna, Nov. 8 At the Saturday meeting of the Budget Commission, the Minister of Finance drew attention in serious terms to the danger of a suspension of the constitution, which would have to occur if the provisional compensation treaty with Hungary were not accepted. |
| ... | ... |
| Es waren entsetzliche Stunden. Die nächste Sitzung ist auf heute, Montag Morgen, anberaumt und sie ist eine geheime Sißung. Heute wird es sich herausstellen, ob der Lärm in jener tollen Nacht der „Schwanengesang des Abgeordnetenhauses" gewesen ist. | These were terrible hours. The next meeting is scheduled for today, Monday morning, and it is a secret session. Today it will become clear whether the noise on that great night was the "swan song of the Chamber of Deputies". |
| M. Verestchagin [Vereščagin], der russische Maler, und Samuel L. Clemens (M Twain) wohnten der Sitzung auf der Fremdengalerie bei. Ersterer machte Skizzen von verschiedenen Scenen, die er mit den Straßen- und Barrikaden-Kämpfen früherer Tage verglich, während Mark Twain das traurige Schauspiel mit einem amerikanischen Lynchgericht verglich und seinem Sarkasmus vollen Lauf ließ. | M. Vereščagin, the Russian painter, and Samuel L. Clemens (M Twain) attended the meeting in the Strangers' Gallery. The former made sketches of various scenes, which he compared to the street and barricade fights of earlier days, while Mark Twain compared the sad spectacle to an American lynching court and gave full rein to his sarcasm. |