GOVERNMENT. The Austro-Hungarian mon archy is composed of the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, and though it is com mon to speak of an Austro-Hungarian empire divided into Cisleithan and Transleithan halves, it is nearer the truth to regard Austria-Hungary as a loose union of two independent States. Es sentially the only bond between them is their possession of a common ruler ; the C1'01\11 of both is hereditary in the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine, and the Emperor of Austria is at the same time Apostolic King of Ilung,ary. He is crowned both at Vienna and Budapest, and takes the oath be fore both the Austrian Parliament and the Hun garian nation in his twofold capacity. The present dual system was adopted by the Ails "'Teich (agreement) of 1867. when the two coun tries, while retaining their complete independence in domestic affairs, agreed to establish a common administration for certain matters of State. Also by this Ansglcieh (which is a general name for several treaties dealing with different subjects adopted at about the same time) Austria and Hungary were constituted a customs union, pledged to a common commercial policy, with a common coinage and system of weights and meas ures, a joint bank of issue, and a uniform control of monopolies and interstate railways. The de partments of State common to both countries are those of finance, war, and foreign affairs, and in the functions delegated to the last two, there is apparent a general tendency to grant as little as possible to the common administration, and to keep as much as possible for the national execu tive. The minister of foreign affairs is charged with the supervision of the Emperor-King's household and with the maintenance of the diplo matic and consular service. The ministry of war is concerned chiefly with the organization and training of the troops, since recruiting and the regulation of the terms of service are left to the two parliaments. The duties of the minister of finance are confined to the administration of the customs, the balancing of accounts for the two other ministries, and he is also intrusted with the government of the dependent provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The proportion of the common expenses to be borne by the two countries is determined, according to the Ausgleielt, every ten years, and in 1899 the rate was fixed at 65.6 per cent. for Austria and 34.4 per cent. for Hungary.
Practically all legislation necessary to render the work of the common departments efficacious, rests with the Austrian and Hungarian diets, hut the ministries are controlled directly by two bodies known as the Delegations, representing the parliaments of the two countries. Each dele
gation consists of 60 members, 20 of whom are elected by the Upper House and 40 by the Lower House. The delegations assemble at Vienna and at Budapest in alternate years, and deliberate apart, communicating only in writing. If they arrive at no agreement after three inter changes, they meet as one body and vote without debate. Evidently the system of dual govern ment is not only cumbersome, but precarious, in that it depends for its continuance on the mutual good-will of two contracting par ties, each of whom keeps a jealous watch against the least ascendency on the part of the other. The activity of the common minis tries is dependent on concurrent legislation by the Austrian and Hungarian Parliaments; a refnsal on the part of either to vote its proportion of the common expenses or its quota of troops may in stantly paralyze the financial and defensive pow ers of the monarchy; and that such action is not at all improbable was shown in 1897, when that part of the Ausgleieh establishing a customs union failed of renewal, and was replaced by a reciprocity treaty for a term of ten years.
The Austrian Empire, independently of Hun gary, comprises the seventeen crown-lands repre sented in the Reichsrat at Vienna. Of these territorial divisions, diverse in race, language. and history, some, like Bohemia, Galicia, and Dalmatia, are kingdoms of which the Austrian Emperor is King: some, like Styria, Carniola, and the two Austrias, are duchies or arch duchies; the rest are variously designated princi palities. As a result of this combination of sec tionalism, based on ethnographical distinctions, with the personal rule of one man, the Empire par takes at the same time of the character of a fed eral State and of a centralized monarchy. The element of racial diversity influences also the relations between the Crown and the legislative bodies. Parliamentary government, in spite of presenting practically all the outward forms it bears in England, for instance, has not attained to anything like full development, for the reason that the various parties in the Diet have not as yet been able to unite permanently either in sup porting or opposing the Crown. By playing off the different factions against each other, the Emperor has succeeded in retaining the balance of power, and in making the ministers his servants, though in law they are responsible to the Parliament. At the same time, such incidents as the blocking of all legislation for months at a time—a thing which happens frequently in the strife of parties —afford him an opportunity for exercising his extra-constitutional powers in the matter of pro mulgating ordinances and decrees.