"Gazeta wyborcza" : an ephemeral press initiative of the Kraków Social Democrats : elections to the Vienna Parliament in 1897 with the participation of the electors from the 5th Curia - the universal vote - in the light of press reports

Strona wydawcy: https://www.wuj.pl

"Gazeta Wyborcza" was a periodical published by the Polish Social Democratic Party during the elections to the Vienna Parliament; it was published every 10 days in Kraków in the period, from February 9 until March 9, 1897. Although the majority of the dailies and periodicals which appeared in Kraków at the time had created new sections and columns (the election movement, on the elections) which referred to this event, yet a special place in the pre-election agitation is occupied by "Gazeta". The periodical was to agitate particularly strongly for the candidacy of Ignacy Daszyński in the Kraków constituency. Thus, not only the time of its appearance - during the elections, but also the place of its circulation - the Kraków constituency, were strictly defined. The content of the paper was devoted in its entirety to the news, correspondence and articles relating to pre-election manifestations, consultations, and meetings. The news relating to the political situation in Europe and in the world, as well as to the economy or culture, was not to be found in this paper. The main task of the paper was to intensify the socialist agitation before the first elections with the participation of electors from the 5th curia - that is, the curia of universal voting. As these were the first elections in which there participated electors who up until then had not possessed the passive election right, the paper's task was not only to show the course of the pre-election struggle, but also give account of the election meetings or/and abuses connected with the elections and primaries. Besides, the goal of the "Wyborcza" paper was also, and maybe mainly to popularize the idea of voting among the vast numbers of workers, as well as among the Kraków peasants. Hence, a new section, entitled Election Manual was created in the paper which provided information and instructions concerning the way one should vote (checking electors' lists, choice of polling station, how to vote and similar information). Thus, the paper taught its readers the very fundamentals of the difficult art of passive election rights. Yet elections in the "Gazeta" were not only limited to the articles, and correspondence, but it also included advertisements. As much as 70% of the advertisements which appeared in the paper were associated with the elections. "Gazeta Wyborcza" constitutes a very special initiative in the history of the Kraków press; it is the first paper whose goal, range, and period of existence are strictly defined. At the same time, it is a paper which although now forgotten, is nevertheless worth remembering by the contemporaries. For it constitutes one of the elements which testifies to the fact that the political situation which arose in Galicia after the year 1867 had given rise to a completely new situation and the forces which up until then had played a decisive role in the policy of the country, were now gradually disappearing from the political scene of the Austrian dominated sector.