Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/330

 322] FOREIGN HISTORY. [1899

years the Prince will have power to apply the laws necessary for the Judiciary, Military, Administrative, and Financial Services, and to conclude agreements relating to public works.

Servia was this year brought into the forefront of European politics by the attempt, on July 6, on the life of the ex-King Milan, and the state trial which followed it on September 8. The author of the attempt was an obscure individual named Knezevitch, but Milan, who since his return to Servia and his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Servian Army has been the de facto ruler of the country, took the opportunity of organising an attack upon his old enemies the Radicals by arresting their leaders as the members of a conspiracy for over- throwing the dynasty. The trial took place before three judges nominated by the Government, and, though the evidence pro- duced in support of the charge was of the most flimsy character, the Radical leaders were sentenced to various terms of imprison- ment, the death punishment being reserved for Knezevitch, who had been caught red-handed. These sentences produced intense indignation all over Europe, but only one of the Radical leaders, the ex-Premier, M. Pasitch, was pardoned, upon which he addressed an abject letter of thanks to the King.

CHAPTER IV.

MINOR STATES OF EUROPE. I. BELGIUM.

The extraordinary activity of the Socialist party in Belgium was shown in the rapid development of co-operative societies, in the organisation of congresses and meetings and processions, which gave a sense of animation to the populous cities of the kingdom, and drew towards them disciplined bands of country workers. At the same time the Liberal and Radical doctrinaires, thoroughly disgusted with the policy of the Government, had temporarily laid aside their differences, and at the beginning of the year had formed a Liberal Union, of which MM. F6ron, Solday, Finet, Buls and Goblet d'Alviella were the leaders. Negotiations were opened at the same time with the Socialists, in order to weld the entire Opposition into a single party ; so that the experience of the 1898 elections might be avoided. On that occasion the Clericals had succeeded in carrying 112 out of 152 seats, owing to the dissensions among the Liberals, although they could only show a majority of two or three thousand on a total poll of 1,800,000 electors. The King, in order to cut short these attempts at coalition, took upon himself to urge the Ministry to bnng forward an Electoral Reform Bill, based upon the principles of one-man constituencies and a rearrange- ment of electoral districts. The President of the Council