The Osceola times., 1880-04-24
GENERAL ELECTION IN ENGLAND.
How the English Nominate and Elect Their
Representatives..

| United Kingdom OF Great Britain and
Ireland will be in hubbub from Lands
End to John-o-Goat's house. Already
the busy hum of preparation for the
general election is heard, not only at
| Westminster, but in many of the towns
and counties of England, Ireland and
Scotland. Some of the members have
already obtained leave of absence and
| have fastened TO their respective homes
TO prepare for the campaign, which is 10
be so sharp, short and decisive. The
| writs for the elections are TO be issued on
Wednesday, the twenty-fourth, and the
elections themselves will take place
within ten days thereafter. Under the
new election law the procedure of cleo
tions in the United Kingdom is very much
altered from the old methods which ex-
listed before the passage of either the
last reform bill or the ballot act. I'M
mediately after the wrts for the cleo
tons are received by the sheriffs OF the
counties or the municipal authorities of
the boroughs and cities, day is fixed
fer nominations. Anybody may be a
candidate who is prepared TO deposit
with the sheriff or the other proper Off
cials his share of the election expenses.
These are all borne by the candidates
aud their friends, the independent Brit
ish voter paying nothing.
AT the appointed time and place the
candidate, accompanied by a body of his
friends, appears on platform erected for
the purpose, or sometimes on the bal
cony of public house. A friend of one
of the candidates prefacing the announ-
cement with short speech eulogistic of
his choice, nominates his friend as a aft
and suitable person. to represent the
constituency in Parliament; another
friend of the same candidate seconds the
nominations; and the candidate himself
probably makes a few remarks. This
procedure is followed by the friends of
the other candidates, and the presiding
officer of the meeting, who is generally
the sheriff or the mayor, calls for show
OF hands as an indication of the wish of
the assembled crowd. Except in a case
where there is but one candidate, and
therefore no contest, this show of hands
is always disputed and the presiding
officer then announces that a poll will be
opened next day.
The poll is inside of house prepared
for the purpose, and contains a number
OF small closets arranged on one side OF
the room, each furnished with a shelf
upon which one may write. A voter on
entering the polling place is presented
with ballot containing the names of
each of the candidates. He is instructed
to enter one of these closets, and make
a cross opposite the name of the candid
ate for whom he intends to vote. He is
then instructed to fold his ballot SO that
this mark cannot be seen. and to take it
to the receiving officer, who sits behind
a table, upon which is spread the regis
tration list. This registration list has
been prepared long beforehand and care
fully ssrutinized by the agents of both
parties. If the voters name is found in
scribed thereon, his ballot is received
and dropped into the ballot-box. At
sunset the voting ends, and with certain
prescribed formalities the ballot-box is
opened and the votes are counted by the
receiving officer iE the presence OF the
candidates, if they wish it, and of one or
more of their friends. The result is
then certified and the return forwarded
to the Speaker of the House of Com
mons.
Before the day either of nomination
or election, however, each intending
candidate issues to the voters of the con-
stituency an address setting foIt tn his
opinions on the questions of the day,
and promising to give his support to
such measures as he believes the best
interest of the country demand. The
preparation of these addresses has be-
come profession of its own, many of
the candidates having wise distrust of
their own qualifications for such task,
and employing for the purpose adroit
writers, often attaches of newspaper
offices or solicitors. No sooner are the
addresses issued than personal canvass
ing begins, and the candidate. accom-
panied by dozen or more of his friends,
goes from house to house, visiting each
voter and seeking to extract from him
the promise of his support. Under the
existing laws extreme care has TO be
taken to prevent everything that can be
twisted into bribery or a promise OF
favor taking place during this canvass,
either by the candidate himself or any
one acting in his name, either known TO
himself or unknown; for could such q
bribery or promise of favor be shown to
the satisfaction of the judges-who now,
| House of Commons, sit upon these mat
ters-the election of the candidate by
whom or in whose name these acts were
done would be invalidated, and he would
| be DISTINGUISHED from sitting in Paria-
| ment for the next seven years. Besides
| the private canvassing numerous public
meetings are held, at which generally all
the candidates appear and discuss the
questions of the day. Sometimes these
meetings are extremely boisterous and
| break up in lows. Public houses, dur
| ing the days intervening between the
issuing of the candidates addresses and
the election, do a roaring trade, but also
| here much adroitness is necessary to ex.
onerate the candidate from the accusa-
ton of treating, which is an oiiense
equally punishable with bribery and cor.
ruption. Ii is notorious, however, that
| the keepers of the public houses are
| furnished with money which enables
them to be EXTREMITY generous in the
| dispensation of their victuals and drink
during the canvass, though in what man
ner these sums of cash are furnished is
seldom or never ascertained. 1t is q
somewhat remarkable fact that even in
the most exciting elections which have
been held in England since the passage
of the reform bill, large proportion OF
the constituencies in boroughs, as well
as in the counties, refuse TO go TO the
polls.
Youthful Vaqueros.
Stockton (Cal Mail.