nce is, not only that the Government can ordinarily play off
one faction against another and secure pretty much its own way, but
also that the responsibility of the ministers to the chambers is much
less effective in practice than on paper it appears to be.[664]

[Footnote 664: W. Beaumont, Cabinets ephemeres et
ministeres provisoires en Autriche, in _Annales des
Sciences Politiques_, March, 1900; H. Hantich,
Nouvelle phase du parlementarisme en Autriche, in
_Questions Diplomatiques et Coloniales_, February
1, 1910.]

III. THE REICHSRATH--THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

*516. The House of Lords.*--The Reichsrath consists of two chambers. The
upper is known as the Herrenhaus, or House of Lords; the lower, as the
Abgeordnetenhaus, or House of Representatives. The Herrenhaus consists
of a somewhat variable number of men who sit in part by _ex-officio_
right, in part by hereditary station, and in part by special Imperial
appointment. At the close of 1910 there were in the chamber 266
members, distributed as follows: (1) princes of the Imperial family
who are of age, 15; (2) nobles of high rank qualified by the
possession of large estates and nominated to an hereditary seat by the
Emperor, 74; (3) ecclesiastics--10 archbishops and 8 bishops--who are
of princely title inherent in their episcopal seats, 18; and (4) persons
nominated by the Emperor for life in recognition of special service
rendered to the state or the Church, or unusual distinction (p. 466)
attained in literature, art, or science, 159. By law of January 26,
1907, the number of members in the last-mentioned group may not exceed
170, nor be less than 150.[665] Within these limits, the power of the
Emperor to create life peers is absolute. The prerogative is one which
has several times been exercised to facilitate the enactment of
measures upon whose adoption the Government was determined. The
president and vice-president of the chamber are appointed from its
members by the Emperor at the beginning of each session; but the body
chooses all of its remaining officers. The privileges and powers of
the Herrenhaus are co-ordinate with those of the Abgeordnetenhaus,
save that money bills and bills fixing the number of military recruits
must be presented first in the lower chamber.

[Footnote 665: It is interesting to observe that