As April third, the date which had been set for the election, approached, the entire world began to show interest in the outcome. The foreign exchanges, adopting an attitude of waiting, permitted the krone to rest peacefully in the depths; in Vienna the excitement grew hourly, and gave rise to repeated excesses and malignant riots. For all the parties worked with every means at their disposal: The anti-Semites shouted of treason, and told hair-raising stories of the international conspiracy of the Jews; the Social-Democrats agitated against the peasants--who, they said, were robbing the workers of the city--and against the Christian demagogues who had only wanted to enrich themselves through the expulsions of the Jews; the new Citizens’ Party, however, continually put out enormous posters that demonstrated with figures the terrible misery prevailing in Vienna since the expulsion, and showed how the city had actually degenerated into a gigantic village, how all the spirit and enterprise had vanished from its life. Over and over again, in every key and variation, they asserted: “The special legislation against the Jews must be repealed. But at the same time it will be the business of a wise and conscientious government to keep out those elements that did not reside in Vienna before the world war, unless they can prove before a competent court, composed of members of the middle and working classes, that they are willing and able to do useful, productive, valuable work which is essential for the common good of Austria.” In the Chancellor’s office there were daily sessions that lasted far into the night, where consultations were held as to the best way of counteracting the new party and the re-invigorated Socialist group. Schwertfeger had had the right instinct. An enormous new loan had to be floated, the krone had to rise, so that the people would see how solidly all Christendom stood behind them--then the government would be victorious. Immediately after the dissolution of the Parliament Professor Trumm, the Minister of Finance, had hurried to Berlin, Paris, and London, to beg and to plead. In vain! The great Christian leagues abroad, the French anti-Semites, the Dutch Christians--all expressed their sympathy and friendship, inquired eagerly after the fate of the many millions they had already sacrificed to the cause, and refused to unseal their pockets again. Most disappointing of all was the reaction of the American billionaire, Mr. Huxtable, on whom they had counted with absolute certainty. He answered none of their telegrams or pleas; and ten days before the election there came a cable from the Austrian government’s confidential agent in New York, with this crushing message: “Huxtable unapproachable. Secretly married to Jewish girl from Chicago. Intends to sell loan given Austria three years ago to Kuhn and Loeb Banking Company for quarter of value.”