Bills Passed, 1852-1854 (A Federation of Equals)

The following bills were passed by the Danubian Council and Assembly between the years 1852 and 1854.

Gradual Abolition Act, 1853
1. All forms of forced labour, outside of a criminal context, including for debt purposes, are abolished, including serfdom and indentured labour.

2. All serfs and indentured servants will be freed from their masters, and placed under a 3-year long contract respecting the following clauses :


 * a. The newly freedman is to work for his former master for the full duration of the contract.


 * b. The employer of the newly freedman is to provide him and his family with food and shelter, or a wage at least high enough for the newly freedman to pay for these needs on his own.


 * c. Should the employer choose the latter option, he will benefit from tax cuts on land ownership, to be specified by the states' legislature.


 * d. The duration of this contract may be extended for an additional year should both parties agree. This operation can be repeated as many times as the parties wish.


 * e. This contract may be transferred to another employer should both parties agree.

3. Upon expiration of the contract, should the newly freeman wish to aquire land, the Federal Government will ensure that he is able to contract a loan allowing him to fulfill this wish in Federation lands, to be repaid by him or his heirs over a period of ten to twenty years.

4. Any holding of unfree labour a year after this bill is passed will result in the immediate freeing of the labour as well as a large fee levied upon the offending party.

Proposed by Janos Papp, Deputy for Croatia

Paramilitary Bill, 1853, amended in 1855
1. Any private organizations that:

B) Uses a military hierarchy, military drill, and/or military dress C) Promote ethnic, ideological, religious or seccessionist supremacy
 * A) Promote violence against a specific political institution, ethnicity, ideology, or religion

shall be declared illegal by federal or state government and have the ringleaders tried for sedation.

Proposed and amended by, ,in 1853

1. Any private unrecognized organizations that:

B) Arms themselves with modern weaponry, on a mass scale C) Promote violent ethnic or secessionist supremacy
 * A) Promote violence against a specific political institution, ethnicity, ideology, or religion

shall be declared illegal by federal or state government and have the ringleaders tried for sedation.

Proposed and amended by Victor Kraus, ,in 1855

The Incorporation of Liberated Peoples Act, 1854, amended in 1860
I. Any people liberated from the clutches of enemy territory, and officially seceded to the Danubian Federation in negotiations, shall be given the opportunity to form their own state within the Federation (see clause I. (a).) or to be integrated into an existing state (see clause I. (b).). If the liberated peoples do not wish to be part of the Federation then they are either to be given sovereignty outside the Federation as either a fully independent state (see clause II. (a).) or as a protected client state of the Danubian Federation (see clause II. (b).).

I. (a). If the liberated people wish to form their own state, then they shall define, with Federal guidance: the territory of the new state; the name of the new state; the main language of the new state and the capital of the new state. All decisions shall have to be confirmed by the Federal Council.

I. (b). If the liberated people wish to be integrated into a state already existing in the Federation, then they shall, with Federal guidance, define which territory shall be given to the existing state. The state that the liberated people wish to become one with must give majority consent to the acceptance of the new territory.

II. (a).If the liberated peoples do not wish to become members of the Danubian Federation, then they are to define, with Federal guidance, the territory of the new state and the diplomatic status the new state is to have with the Federation. All decisions shall have to be confirmed by the Federal Council, during the establishment of this new state. Once the new state is formally created, the Danubian Federation is to withdraw all military and political forces from the area, unless the new state requests otherwise.

II. (b). If the liberated peoples do not wish to become members of the Danubian Federation, but wish to remain under its protection, then the liberated peoples are to establish a client state, with Federal guidance. The liberated peoples are to define, with Federal guidance: the territory of the new state and what sections of the new state’s government are to be guided by the Danubian Federation. The decision to establish a client state must be confirmed by a majority vote by the population in the defined territory, as well as by majority vote of the Federal Council. A client state is to have two seats on the Federal Council.

III. When the people are being integrated into the Federation, the current voting system used by the Federation shall be used by the liberated people to determine their choice. If the liberated people chose self-representation (as defined under Clause I. (a).) then they shall receive the appropriate representation in the National Assembly and the Federal Council.

IV. The liberated people must be given the opportunity to decide their standing in the Federation as soon as the Danubian Federation is at peace.

Proposed by Victor Kraus, Foreign Minister, in 1854

V. The Incorporation of Liberated Peoples Act shall only be valid within the continent of Europe.

Amended by, , in 1860

Supreme Court Amendment, 1854

 * 1) The Supreme Court is to be composed of Supreme Judges, who will hold their office until they resign or are unable to continue assuming their functions.


 * 1) The Supreme Court will judge of the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress, ie whether said laws are not made illegal by the Consitution, through majority votes of the Supreme Judges.


 * 1) Every state of the Federation must appoint one Supreme Judge in whichever way they see fit.


 * 1) A final Supreme Judge is allocated to the Congress, who must agree by a majority of two thirds in both house on his nomination.

Proposed by Janos Papp, Deputy for Croatia
 * 1) Should a tie occur in a vote held in the Supreme Court, the point of view which the Supreme Judge appointed by the Congress has taken will be the one to prevail.

This bill has been redacted by the Constitution of 1872.

Reconstruction of Vienna Act, 1854
Proposed by ,
 * 1) Any Viennese may request government assistance to repair their property
 * 2) The Federal government will send out experts to assess the damage to the Viennese person’s property
 * 3) The Federal Government will also send and expert to assess the connections between the person(s) and the League of St. Mark and other groups that instigated the revolt
 * 4) Should both reports be favorable then the Federal Government will send out a small amount of money to assist the person in repairing the damaged property

The Bill for the Encouragement of Internal Trade within the Federation, 1854
Proposed by Karl von Innsbruck-Brno, Councillor of Austria
 * 1) All Tariffs between the different states of the Federation will be abolished
 * 2) Trade between the different states will be encouraged
 * 3) A standard rail gauge of 1,435 mm will be adopted across the Federation ensuring that goods can travel from Milan to Ternopol or Usti to Brasso without changing trains.

Freedom of Movement Act, 1854
Proposed by Janos Papp, Deputy for Croatia
 * 1) All citizens of the Federation, this being all citizens of all the States composing the Federation, may not be abnormally impaired when moving between states.
 * 2) Movement of goods between the States of the Federation may not be abnormally impaired without authorization of the Federal Government.
 * 3) Movement of goods and people between a federated and a non-federated state is to be dealt with at the Federal level; states may not impose their own tariffs on such movements.
 * 4) Should the application of justice or national emergencies require it, this right may be temporarily taken away from select or all citizens. This removal may be reviewed at any time by the Federal Government.

Federal Education Act, 1854

 * 1) The federal government will allocate funds to improve infrastructure that relates to education throughout the federation, to encourage people to learn how to read and write.
 * 2) All citizens no matter there ethnic back ground or what state they live in are entitled to full use of all educational infrastructure, as long as they are a citizen of the federation.
 * 3) People of the lowest class are to be allowed in federal schools for free till they can read and write, after wards they pay like everyone else.
 * 4) The cost of going to federal schools must be no more then X% of an average works yearly budget, so people feel inclined to use the schools.