Remarkable scenes were witnessed in the Chamber yesterday when Deputy Rassay, the leader of the Liberal Party, complained in the debate on the estimates of the Minister of Education, Count Klebelsberg, was boasting of the continued cultural development and the expansion of the universities, he was at the same time by the artificial means of the numerus clausus law keeping intending students out of the universities. It was true, he said, that he had now modified the law, but he had never been particularly opposed to it.
I opposed it more than you did, Count Klebelsberg jumped up to interject. You actually drafted a motion on the subject. I never brought it up against you before, but I must remind you now that you were one of the prime movers in bringing the numerus clausus about. I did not vote on the numerus clausus law.
That is a very bold statement, Deputy Rassay retorted. You exploited the numerus clausus law for propaganda purposes. I do not deny that in 1920. I adhered to the Christian policy, and that my Party prepared the motion on this question. I have the moral strength, however, to have fought against the numerus clausus law ten years later, while you, Count Klebelsberg, posed in Liberal circles as an opponent of the law, and in Christian circles as a friend.
Dr. Rassay has no right to attack me on the numerus clausus question, Count Klebelsberg replied. It was he who with his amendments introduced the religious question into the numerus clausus law., and it was this which caused us the greatest difficulty abroad. I consider it very deplorable that he, being one of the originators of these things, should now come here as the banner-bearer in the fight against the numerus clausus. People may change their opinions. I have often done so myself, but then I did not but myself at the head of the opposing camp; at such times I rather withdrew into the background. People should be very careful when they are arguing matters with someone who has not changed his view on the particular question in dispute. I have always stood for the policy of the middle course and I shall continue to stand there.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
