登陆注册
5259800000095

第95章 STIRRING TIMES IN AUSTRIA(6)

Nothing came of the efforts of the angel of peace, and he presently melted out of the scene and disappeared. Wolf went on with his noise and with his demands that he be granted the floor, resting his board at intervals to discharge criticisms and epithets at the Chair. Once he reminded the Chairman of his violated promise to grant him (Wolf) the floor, and said, 'Whence I came, we call promise-breakers rascals!'

And he advised the Chairman to take his conscience to bed with him and use it as a pillow. Another time he said that the Chair was making itself ridiculous before all Europe. In fact, some of Wolf's language was almost unparliamentary. By-and-by he struck the idea of beating out a tune with his board. Later he decided to stop asking for the floor, and to confer it upon himself. And so he and Dr. Lecher now spoke at the same time, and mingled their speeches with the other noises, and nobody heard either of them. Wolf rested himself now and then from speech-making by reading, in his clarion voice, from a pamphlet.

I will explain that Dr. Lecher was not making a twelve-hour speech for pastime, but for an important purpose. It was the Government's intention to push the Ausgleich through its preliminary stages in this one sitting (for which it was the Order of the Day), and then by vote refer it to a select committee. It was the Majority's scheme--as charged by the Opposition--to drown debate upon the bill by pure noise--drown it out and stop it. The debate being thus ended, the vote upon the reference would follow--with victory for the Government. But into the Government's calculations had not entered the possibility of a single-barrelled speech which should occupy the entire time-limit of the setting, and also get itself delivered in spite of all the noise. Goliath was not expecting David. But David was there; and during twelve hours he tranquilly pulled statistical, historical, and argumentative pebbles out of his scrip and slung them at the giant; and when he was done he was victor, and the day was saved.

In the English House an obstructionist has held the floor with Bible-readings and other outside matters; but Dr. Lecher could not have that restful and recuperative privilege--he must confine himself strictly to the subject before the House. More than once, when the President could not hear him because of the general tumult, he sent persons to listen and report as to whether the orator was speaking to the subject or not.

The subject was a peculiarly difficult one, and it would have troubled any other deputy to stick to it three hours without exhausting his ammunition, because it required a vast and intimate knowledge--detailed and particularised knowledge--of the commercial, railroading, financial, and international banking relations existing between two great sovereignties, Hungary and the Empire. But Dr. Lecher is President of the Board of Trade of his city of Brunn, and was master of the situation.

His speech was not formally prepared. He had a few notes jotted down for his guidance; he had his facts in his head; his heard was in his work;and for twelve hours he stood there, undisturbed by the clamour around him, and with grace and ease and confidence poured out the riches of his mind, in closely reasoned arguments, clothed in eloquent and faultless phrasing.

He is a young man of thirty-seven. He is tall and well-proportioned, and has cultivated and fortified his muscle by mountain-climbing. If he were a little handsomer he would sufficiently reproduce for me the Chauncey Depew of the great New England dinner nights of some years ago; he has Depew's charm of manner and graces of language and delivery.

There was but one way for Dr. Lecher to hold the floor--he must stay on his legs. If he should sit down to rest a moment, the floor would be taken from him by the enemy in the Chair. When he had been talking three or four hours he himself proposed an adjournment, in order that he might get some rest from his wearing labours; but he limited his motion with the condition that if it was lost he should be allowed to continue his speech, and if it was carried he should have the floor at the next sitting. Wolf was now appeased, and withdrew his own thousand-times-offered motion, and Dr. Lecher's was voted upon--and lost. So he went on speaking.

By one o'clock in the morning, excitement and noise-making had tired out nearly everybody but the orator. Gradually the seats of the Right underwent depopulation; the occupants had slipped out to the refreshment-rooms to eat and drink, or to the corridors to chat. Some one remarked that there was no longer a quorum present, and moved a call of the House.

The Chair (Vice-President Dr. Kramarz) refused to put it to vote. There was a small dispute over the legality of this ruling, but the Chair held its ground.

The Left remained on the battle-field to support their champion. He went steadily on with his speech; and always it was strong, virile, felicitous, and to the point. He was earning applause, and this enabled his party to turn that fact to account. Now and then they applauded him a couple of minutes on a stretch, and during that time he could stop speaking and rest his voice without having the floor taken from him.

At a quarter to two a member of the Left demanded that Dr. Lecher be allowed a recess for rest, and said that the Chairman was 'heartless.'

Dr. Lecher himself asked for ten minutes. The Chair allowed him five.

Before the time had run out Dr. Lecher was on his feet again.

Wolf burst out again with a motion to adjourn. Refused by the Chair.

Wolf said the whole Parliament wasn't worth a pinch of powder. The Chair retorted that that was true in a case where a single member was able to make all parliamentary business impossible. Dr. Lecher continued his speech.

同类推荐
  • 六十种曲西厢记

    六十种曲西厢记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 释门正统

    释门正统

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 广弘明集

    广弘明集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 任法

    任法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十二门论疏

    十二门论疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 洪荒之神龟

    洪荒之神龟

    当一条咸鱼穿越到了洪荒,发现自己居然成了命中注定将陨落于大劫之中的玄龟,那么他还会咸鱼下去吗?是咸鱼翻身,还是成为一条死鱼?这是一个选择。沈归表示我一定要逆天改命,不做咸鱼,超脱天道……然后……唉,好困,先睡一会再说。呼呼呼…………群585766138,感兴趣的可以加。
  • 灾难面前如何守护人身安全

    灾难面前如何守护人身安全

    《灾难面前如何守护人身安全》涉及的内容都与日常的学习和生活密切相关,只有人身安全了,我们才可能萌生起对其他目标追求的兴趣。著名学者马斯洛曾说过:“人有五种需要:生理需要、安全需要、社交需要、尊重需要和自我实现的需要。”可见“安全”对于人来说是如此的重要。“安全”是简单的两个字,却饱含着许多的祝福和期盼;安全是沉重的两个字,浸蕴着多少血泪与辛酸。
  • 佛说造立形像福报经

    佛说造立形像福报经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玩游戏刷黑科技

    玩游戏刷黑科技

    重生2017年,并获得高玩黑科技系统。一切,从S7春季赛的RNG替补上单开始……——————(简介无力,看正文吧,求推荐和收藏)
  • 血枪击水

    血枪击水

    神枪现世天下荡,魍魉魑魅杀伐狂。少年百折雪止殇,仇消乱清万古王。
  • 天意仙缘记

    天意仙缘记

    对于许多拥有仙缘的人来说,踏上修真之路便意味着长生、得道成仙。而于她而言,就好似踏入断崖,绝无退路可言。别人实力大涨兴高采烈,而她实力大涨却苦不堪言;如果实力越强,越接近死亡。那还修个鬼的仙,回家种田保长生。
  • 当爱已成往事

    当爱已成往事

    她费尽心思嫁给晏南衡,无爱的婚姻却教会她,就算得到丈夫的身,也抓不住丈夫的心,“苏若,爱你这件事,我觉得恶心。”他如此嫌恶她,恨不得将她拨皮拆骨。当爱已成往事,他却发现,这一生,遇见她也是一种美好……--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 雪球专刊第024期:解密复星投资之道

    雪球专刊第024期:解密复星投资之道

    我是一个新上海人,从浙江过来。我的家乡是一个小县城,从我家到达上海,我记忆中的时间都是要十三四个小时,所以觉得好遥远。这二十多年下来我一直在比较,我觉得我确实很爱上海,爱上海的理由是我最好的青春都在上海度过。第二呢,我觉得上海让我的人生发生了重大的改变,在我读大学快毕业的时候,复旦当时的校长说,一个好的国家、好的社会,它一定是给年轻人最多机会的国家、社会。
  • 王者荣耀:捡了把剑送个大神

    王者荣耀:捡了把剑送个大神

    【2018王者荣耀文学大赛·征文参赛作品】【爆笑,轻松,痛快,蠢萌蠢萌的无敌文】国服第一甄姬段天骄赛场失误,却意外捡到一把剑还赠个大神!还穿越到了游戏世界里…青莲剑仙李白是师父,元歌是挚友,诸葛亮听说挺难撩?最后还不成了姐的小跟班!呜这小日子过得呵呵呵…日常发糖的信白CP,乔策爱的守护,百里兄弟的约定,白昭虐心爱恋,凯皇露娜的兄妹情仇…江东魔道,繁华长安,凛冬之海,长城二畔故乡情,王者大陆的秘密一但撕开个口,就一发不可收拾,究竟还隐藏着多少不为人知的秘密?方舟引擎已启动,集合准备团战【QQ群稻米小窝:184129152】
  • 武魂在异世

    武魂在异世

    身死于现实,诞生于幻想。少年叶封误入被抛弃的世界,隐藏于平静的湖面之下的世界又是怎样的景象?