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By Root 512 0

on his return to Budapest with his mother on June 4th. He had already realized that whatever he found going on in Parliament would be distasteful to him, for he had grown up with a belief in the sacredness of Hungary’s constitution and respect for its traditions. It had been painful to read about recent events in the newspapers, but now, seeing it for himself, it was worse. All the same he had to be there, just as eight and a half years before, when the derisively-named ‘Darabont’ (or Bodyguard) government had sent soldiers into the House to enforce its will. Balint sensed that something of the sort might happen again, now that passions were even more inflamed than before and there had been shooting in the streets outside. If the same sort of thing occurred in the present session then Tisza was not the sort of man to cower before the guns of the military, and if he were bold enough to stand up to them then Balint felt it would be cowardly not to do the same.

The signs of the coming storm were all there when the session began. From the outset the opposition brought into play one of its oldest time-wasting tricks, the filibuster. A member whose ability to spin any point out for an unconscionable time demanded to be heard on a point of order concerning the Rules of the House. Traditionally such a demand must be given priority, and at least three-quarters of an hour or more could be satisfactorily wasted in this way. Tisza merely dismissed the request in the most summary fashion. Bedlam at once broke out on the left, with members drumming on the benches and demanding an immediate closed session.

From where Balint was seated he could see Tisza clearly. The newly-elected Speaker sat there motionless, waiting for the hubbub to subside. The sun glinted on his short greying hair and his eyes were hidden by his thick glasses which were like two shining discs placed just under his forehead. At last, when it was possible to be heard, he said in a serious tone, ‘I must ask the honourable Members to abandon the course they have adopted, a course which is bringing our country to ruin.’

Undoubtedly he knew in advance that so mild a rebuke would be in vain and that his request would be greeted, as it was, with whistles, drumming on the benches, stamping and loud irreverent shouting. Tisza called for order, and again started to speak. His voice was solemn and his manner calm, and only when he quoted back at his political opponents some of their own words did he allow himself some ironic overtones.

‘My duty,’ he said, ‘as guardian of order in this House, is to bring to a definite end all obstructive tactics and technical objections which, as Count Gyula Andrassy has said, can be forged into an effective weapon by a mere twenty ill-intentioned members, and which, Albert Apponyi has declared, constitute usurpation of the nation’s age-old liberties …’ but he was not allowed to finish the sentence for his voice was drowned by the uproar his words had produced. Men jumped to their feet from the benches on the extreme left and howled their anger, then, above it all, Tisza somehow again made himself heard.

‘I ask the House now if it accepts the Defence Estimate Bill or not? I wish for an answer: Yes or No?’

The majority of those present at once stood up to show their acceptance and Tisza declared the motion passed. The opposition was now powerless to do anything but continue to howl their fury, cursing and raging and hurling insults in every direction, insults which never reached their mark for the noise was such that no one could hear what they were shouting. While this was going on Tisza closed the session, got up and walked out as slowly and as calmly as if he were merely out for an afternoon stroll.

This all happened before midday.

Abady went to the House again for the afternoon session. It was barely half-past three when he looked into the Chamber and saw that the opposition was already there in force. They had heard that Tisza had ordered a police cordon and had been afraid that they would not be allowed into the building. And so it