“Ladies and gentlemen! Had I listened to such counsel the whole law would have become a farce. Jewish money and influence would have worked day and night, tens of thousands of exceptional cases would have been fabricated, and fifty years from now we would be in exactly the same position as today. No! There will be no preference, no exception, no pity, no passive collusion. The government will place splendid hospital trains at the disposal of the sick and infirm; and only those Jews whom a medico-judicial investigation finds absolutely incapable of transportation will be permitted to await their recovery or death here.” Dr. Schwertfeger bowed slightly and sank heavily into his chair. But his last pronouncement had had a peculiar effect. Only a few cheers came from the audience; a distinct, almost palpable cloud of uneasiness hung over the house; many faces reflected unmistakable terror and anxiety; there was some disturbance in the gallery, and a woman shrieking, “My children!” fell in a swoon. And though thunderous applause followed the Chancellor’s speech, yet the little group of Social-Democrats shouted in unison: “Shocking! Shameful! An outrage!” And now the red-bearded Presiding Officer gave the floor to Professor Trumm, the Finance Minister. He was a small man, dry and shrivelled as a prune, endowed with a treble voice; and his speech suffered occasional interruptions that served to free his tongue when it became caught between his gums and the upper edge of his dental plate. He discussed the financial aspects of the expulsion law before a deeply interested house. The redemption of Jewish concerns and real estate would make heavy drains not only on the private capital of the Christians but on the finances of the state as well. Thousands of billions of kronen would barely suffice; and it had to be recognized that one of the first results of the expulsion of the Jews would be all sorts of financial difficulties. “But, heaven be praised,” here the Finance Minister crossed himself, “we will not stand alone in the dark days to come! I bring to the House the joyful tidings that the true Christians of all the world have united to help us. Not only has the Austrian government conducted international negotiations for months, but the Pius Association has been making unobtrusive but effective propaganda that is bearing splendid fruit. The League of the Active Christians of the Scandinavian Countries, whose members include many powerful bankers and merchants, places at our disposal great credits in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian money. The American industrial king, Jonathan Huxtable, one of the richest men of the world and a zealous champion of Christianity, has declared his readiness to invest twenty million dollars in Austria. The Christian League of France is mobilizing a hundred million francs,--in short, billions of kronen will have to be sent out of the country to let in a flood of billions in gold!”