the number, however, the 1,732,000
comprised in the original four curiae were still to elect 353 of the
425 members of the chamber, with the further inequity that many of the
persons who profited by the new arrangement were included already in
one or another of the older classes, and hence were vested by it with
a plural vote. Although, therefore, the voting privilege was now (p. 469)
conferred upon millions of small taxpayers and non-taxpayers who never
before had possessed it, the nation was still very far from a fair and
democratic suffrage system.

*521. Renewed Agitation: the Universal Suffrage Law of
1907.*--Throughout the decade following 1896 electoral agitation was
continuous and widespread, but not until 1905 did the situation become
favorable for further reform. In September of the year mentioned
Francis Joseph approved the proposal that universal suffrage be
included in the programme of the Fejervary cabinet in Hungary, and the
act was taken at once to mean that the sovereign had arrived at the
conclusion that the democratizing of the franchise was inevitable in
all of his dominions. In point of fact, by reason of the prolonged
parliamentary crisis of late years at Vienna, the Emperor was fast
arriving at precisely such a conclusion. Stimulated by current
developments in Hungary and in Russia, the Austrian Socialists, late
in 1905, entered upon a notable series of demonstrations, and,
November 28, Premier Gautsch was moved to pledge the Government to
introduce forthwith a franchise reform bill based upon the principle
of universal suffrage. February 23, 1906, the promise was redeemed by
the presentation in the Reichsrath of proposals for (1) the abolition
of the system of electoral curiae, (2) the extension of an equal
franchise to all males over twenty-four years of age and resident in
their district a year, (3) the division of Austria racially into
compartments so that each ethnic group might be protected against its
rivals, and (4) the increase of the number of seats from 425 to 455, a
fixed number to be allotted to each province, and in each province to
each race, in accordance with numbers and taxpaying capacity.

The outlook for the bill in which these proposals were incorporated
was at first not promising. The Social Democrats, the Christian
Socialists, and the Young Czechs were favorable; the Poles were
reserved in their attitude, but inclined to be hostile; practically
all of the German Liberal