Three-Room President

The very tall, stoop-shouldered, beak-nosed Chancellor of Austria, Monsignor Ignaz Seipel, unexpectedly assumed last week a somewhat malignant role, as he strove to grasp powers verging on the dictatorial.

The occasion was Austria's presidential election. Not the People but Parliament would ballot. Thus far the new Republic of Austria had had only one President, beloved Dr. Michael Hainisch, he of the white Santa Claus whiskers and ruddy cheeks, nose. So great is the popularity of Dr. Hainisch and his pet prize cow, Bella (TIME, April 2), that recently the Austrian Government felt obliged to issue an official communique scotching false rumors that Bella had died.

Twenty-four hours before election the announced position of the four major Austrian parties was that they would support the passage of a Constitutional amendment permitting President Hainisch to be elected for a third term. This was Chancellor Seipel's own program. Suddenly Monsignor Seipel scrapped his original program. He proposed not another four-year term but an unprecedented one-year term for President Hainisch. During this one year drastic Constitutional amendments would be drafted and passed, endowing the President with quasi-dictatorial powers and quadrupling his present paltry salary of about $100 weekly.*

Socialists feared that the Chancellor was taking advantage of the crisis precipitated last week by a government employes' strike (see col. 2) to jam through an emergency measure so contrived that one year hence the beak-nosed Monsignor might himself assume the Presidency with semi-dictatorial powers. Still it was significant that Chancellor Seipel had said, impatiently lecturing strike leaders: "What Austria needs is a strong President to keep her house in order!" To many Socialists the inference seemed inescapable. Seipel, already strong, wanted to be stronger, strongest.

Special Correspondent Wythe Williams of the New York Times picturesquely described the ensuing confusion: "Election day dawned with no strong candidates of any party. Election day waned with no candidates developing any signs of sufficient strength to win. In fact, ten minutes before the final ballot any latecomer in the halls of Parliament where the election was held might, by a few well-chosen words, have obtained the victory."

So complete was the deadlock among factions that all possibility of obtaining a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution in favor of a third term for President Hainisch quickly vanished. Preliminary balloting showed that the 91 Socialist votes were impotent to elect that party's hastily improvised candidate, Herr Doktor Karl Renner, onetime Socialist Chancellor (1919). Had the deadlock continued after the term of President Hainisch expired, last week, he would have been automatically succeeded by Chancellor Seipel, who would have become President ad interim. Above all Socialists did not want that. Therefore they abstained, 91 strong, thus permitting the election by only 94 votes of Dr. Wilhelm Miklas, an unimportant figure, though Speaker of Parliament.

Up to last week the new President of Austria lived in three rooms* at 94 Nussdorfer Strasse, Vienna, with his brother and two sons. Married in 1900, this sterling citizen has since begotten from the same wife 11 children, of whom two are priests, two nuns. Frau Leopoldine Miklas lives most of the time in a four-roomed house at Horn, one and a half hours from Vienna by rail, with the President's five youngest sons. Through a quiet life of 56 years he has risen slowly from obscure school teaching to be rector of a little college, then Speaker. Unashamed of poverty, he claims to have worn every day since 1924 the same now threadbare morning coat, striped trousers, soft felt hat. A meek man, President Miklas has been content to stand and wait upon Monsignor Seipel and other leaders of the Clerical party called "Christian Socialist." The fact that he was elected is a tribute to the continued potency of Chancellor Seipel's coalition. But the fact that 91 Socialist electors abstained is of far greater significance.

The new President's most striking characteristic is that he is one of the few prominent Austrians who do not favor Anschluss or union of Austria and Germany.

Retiring President Dr. Michael Hainisch created a prodigious sensation by declaring:

"Had the political parties not forced me forward I would never have consented to the mention of my name for a third term. That the people of Austria desire me to continue President I do not for one moment doubt . . . during my incumbency much Austrian wit has been expended on my champion milch cow, Bella. Perhaps my countrymen should know that abroad there are few Honest Austrians so well known as Bella." With deadly insinuation angry Dr. Hainisch, then named Monsignor Ignaz Seipel as one of the very best known of Austrians, pointedly omitting to call him honest.

*Calvin Coolidge receives in salary and allowances nearly $2,000 weekly. * Sleeping formation, as reported by the Miklas maid-of-all-work who herself sleeps out.

Bed I Bed II Bed III

Dr. Miklas Frau Miklas Brother Miklas Sons Daughters Surplus Sons