Five others who refused to obey the Commissioner were treated in the same unceremonious way.
Dr. Wolff, who up to this moment had been dumb with amazement, now called on the ministers to remove the police.
Order having been partially restored, the President returned and reopened the session. His appearance was greeted with a storm of whistles, shouts, beating and slamming of desk-lids, and the usual uproar, led by Dr. Wolff, who, too exhausted to do anything noisier, contented himself with blowing a shrill cab whistle.
It was impossible to restore order, for even the friends of the Government were indignant at the introduction of the police into the chamber.
Relying on their privileges as members of the Reichsrath, the deputies had for days behaved in a shameful and unmanly manner. The people were indignant that their representatives should so disgrace them, and the sympathy was all with the Government. The calling in of the police changed the situation. The Government had interfered with the rights of the people, and every lover of liberty was in arms against the outrage. The riotous deputies now became heroes and martyrs instead of noisy, foolish men, not fit to be intrusted with parliamentary privileges.
The President of the Reichsrath, having gone so far, was determined, if possible, to end the disturbance at once and for all. When the noisy demonstrations recommenced, he ordered Dr. Wolff to leave the house, suspending him for three days—that is to say, forbidding him to re-enter the Reichsrath for that space of time.
Wolff, of course, refused to obey, and the aid of the police was called for. A shameful struggle ensued, in which the deputy's chair and desk were smashed to pieces.
Twelve other members were seized by the police and turned out of the chamber.
While this was going on inside the house, excited crowds had gathered outside. As the torn and dishevelled members were expelled, the people, regarding them as martyrs in the cause of liberty, began to murmur against the Government, and finally grew so violent that a strong force of police had to be fetched to disperse them.
Forgetting that the foolish conduct of these deputies had blocked all legislation, and brought the Government and country to such a pass that the dissolution of the bond with Hungary was likely to occur at any moment, the people only realized that their liberties had been interfered with, and their rights had been taken from them.