Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/45

Rh 6. The Ministry of Justice. — Chevalier A. von Tschabuschnigg, appointed July 1870.

The responsibility of ministers for acts committed in the discharge of their official functions was established by a bill which passed the Reichsrath in July 1867. and received the sanction of the emperor on the 21st of December 1870.

Hungary.

The constitution of the eastern part of the empire, or the kingdom of Hungary, including Hungary Proper, Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania, is of very ancient date, and based mainly upon unwritten laws that grew up in the course of centuries. There exists no charter, or constitutional code, but in place of it are fundamental statutes, published at long intervals of time. The principal of them, the 'Aurea Bulla' of King Andrew II., was granted in 1222, and changed the form of government, which had until then been completely autocratic, into an aristocratic monarchy. Almost all subsequent rulers endeavoured, though with little or no success, to extend the royal prerogatives, the struggle lasting, with more or less interruption, till the year 1867, when the present king, having failed in his attempt to weld Hungary to the rest of his dominions, acknowledged and took oath upon the ancient constitution, modified, in the meanwhile, by laws and decrees issued after the revolution of 1849, which had brought about the temporary establishment of a republic.

The legislative power rests conjointly in the King and the Diet, or Reichstag. The latter consists of an upper and a lower house, the first known as the House of Magnates, and the second as the House of Representatives. The House of Magnates was composed, in the session of 1870, of 410 members, namely 3 Princes of the reigning houses; 31 Archbishops and Bishops of the Roman Catholic and Greek churches; 68 Peers of Hungary (Barones et comites regni); 3 Princes; 219 Counts; 81 Barons; and 5 deputies of Croatia, Slavonia, and Transylvania. It is permitted by ancient custom that magnates who cannot appear in person may send deputies, as may also the widows of magnates.

The lower house, or House of Representatives of Hungary, is composed of representatives of the nation, elected by the vote of all citizens, of full age, who pay direct taxes to the amount of eight gulden, or 16s., per annum. No distinction is made, either as regards electors or representatives, on account of race or religion. New elections must take place every three years. By the electoral law in force in the session of 1870, the House of Representatives consisted of 438 members, of which number 88 were deputies of Hungarian towns and cities, 289 of Hungarian county districts, and