Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-08-31
A Free Election.

1t is curious to read about some things, cleo
tons, &c, which happened in old times anc
other countries-they remind US SO much OF re-
cent occurrences in this highly favored land
We will refer, for instance, to free election
held in Poland more than hundred years ago
briefly giving the facts of the case, and leaving
the reader to observe the parallel between thai
and some events within their personal knowl
edge, or likely to be. We follow Thomas Car
lyle as our authority, and shall quote freely
from him without using quotation marks Il
our readers shall not be able to distinguish
what is original with US from what we take
from Carlyle, We shall feel complimented.
On the 25th Of August. 1888, the Diet Of
Poland-thatis the assembly of estates princes,
big bugs, or whatever they may be called-as-
sembled near Warsaw, according to the estab-
lished custom, to elect new King, the former
one having died. There had been good deal
of preliminary cauousing and stormy time
minority like to be thrown out of window, to
be shot through the head en- some OCCASION
The actual election begins August 18th, con-
tinues sub do, in the field of VIOLA bound to
conclude within six weeks The prominent
candidates are, Stanislaus, native Pole, and
August OF Saxony August, seeing there was
not the least hope in Poland own vote, Judi
clousy went to the Emperor first of all: I'm
perlal Majesty, | will accept your Pragmatic
Sanction root and branoh-swaliow it whole
make me King Of Poland !" Done !" an
swers Imperial Majesty, and immediately brings
Russia over to support the same candidate. In
the mean while, the Emperor has his troops
assembled over the border in Silesia, ''to pro-
tect the freedom of election, and thirty thon-
sand Russians under Marshal Lacy ere living on
the edge of Lithuania, bent on ike object
Austrian and Russian agents are busy among
the Poles, trying to influence the electors in
behalf OF August; but with no success in the
yield OF Viola, except to the stirring u-
noise and tumult there. The va OF
and of Poland, is entbp- lie of Viola,
So the election -slastic for Stanislaus.
mousl- goes, and Stanlsaus is unani-
=, proclaimed King.
On the 22nd of September, the Russians ad-
vanced more and more, and Stanislaus having
no army to oppose them, has to retire from
Warsaw, and from public life On the 3rd OF
October, Lacy and his Russians arrive in the
suburbs of Warsaw, intent upon protecting free
dom of election Bridges being broken, they
do not yet cross the River, but invite the free
electors to come across and vote "a real
King, they say, lis very necessary, Stanis-
laus being an imaginary one, brought in by
compassion, by threats of finging people out
of window, and the like" The free elector.
do not cross; whereupon small handful. now
free enough, and not to be thrown out of win
dow, whom Lacy had about him, proceed to
elect August Of Saxony he, on the 5,h Of Oc-
tober, still one day within the legal six weeks.
is chosen and declared the real King. "twelve
Senators and about six hundred gentleman
voting for him there, free they in Lacy GUAR.
tiers, the rest Of Poland having LAIN under com
pulsion when voting for Stanlslaus That ;s
the correct state of the poll at Warsaw.
Dakota Territory will soon be knocking At tbe
doors OF the Union. Villages arc said to he
springlng up there rapidly More than five
thousand persons have emigrated to the Ter.