National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-11-07
THE FRANCHISE N fRANGS.
JOHNNY CRATAi'D At THE pOLli AYD
WHAT HE DOES THERE.
b'tihod of Choosing the Peoples
entntiyrs In The Urcnt Faro.
ltH Eerubiic-somc Results Of tiis
Recent Ilcoilona- Tic Country safe.


l,n nerubiic-somc Results of tho
Recent Elcoiiopa-. Tic Country safe.
PARIS, Oct. 24.--'rhe Importance and slg.
niGcGEce Of the Gtc elections render the
moGe Of conducting such Affairs IN th!s
country matter Of some Interest in the
western republic. Paris was divided into
Gao sections or voting places, and there were
nearly 200 more provided for 81. Dents AMI
SceGux. AS the method Of voting l., the
/ srine all over France description OF tho
operation here will indicate how the French
clettor votes. The polls ARE opened at Ia
i tie morning by citizen selected by the
N mavor Cf the quarter This presiding OIL
cetis assisted by two wGrdous and secretary.
Tie voter delivers his ballot folded to the
4 presiding officer, who drops II into the urn.
Il II the ticket, which must he white, con
tBns any mark or sign whatever by which
the voter can be known II is thrown out when
4 tie counting takes place. Electors can
write their lists or use printed ones, and
II they can indulge In MS much scratching"
II SIS they like. Each voter must justify his
I'll identity, either by an electoral card or by
Witnesses WHO are electors in his ward.
Instead OF counting the votes as fast as
Trey arc deposited during the day, so taat
lie but little work to do, the counting here
does not begin until all have voted, that Is
u 10 say, until o'clock. Then the presiding
officer calls upon number OF the electors
present to help in tho counting. These
volunteers arc divided into groups Of four
One reads aloud the names and two others
u check them OIL on two separate lists pre-
lHIed In advance. The fourth assistant
Z copies the totals on to another list which
Wien finished Is signed by all the counters.
This list together with the Irregular bal
lots, Is delivered to the presiding officer,
who forwards 1t TO the prefecture OF the
selre. This cumbersome arrangement
works well enough in II small community,
hut in Paris, with eighteen lists aud over
eco candidates, II is found TO he very do-
foct!ye. When the polls were closed there
were more than sixty sections where vOlun-
tcer counters could not be obtained, and
tie work In these ecctions did not begin
nntil the next day.
SOME IMrEDiIENrs.
In some Of the voting places there were
four sheets for the 300 names Of the candl-
dates ard each recorder had to look over
these four sheets rs fast as n name was
called out. III all these names had been
printed on one sheet, much delay would
have Teen saved Then there was u numer-
Gus variety of scratched tickets. A great
many ballots were written, while Others
were partly written and partly printed,
g
name thirty eight times, others had written
n The whole thirty-eight thirty-eight times In
1871, the lust time the sCrutiD dc liste was
used for general election, II was four or
five days before the definite results were
y known, and on the present occasion 1t was
thought that everything had been done to
facilitate the counting, SO that the exact re-
= suit would be known the following day.
W With that theatrical instinct SO implanted
in every Frenchmon rehearsal OF the
voting had been tried. The pupils OF one
~ of the public schools went through all tho
movements one day several weeks before
the election, and it was triumphantly an-
nounced that the system worked to per-
lection.
WHAT 1T AMOUNTED TO.
The result Of the vote, excepting the de-
partment of the seiae and the colonies, is $50
dictionaries 1874 republicans, and 222 bal
lot.ages whore a second trial will be neces-
sary. IL TO this total Of 53S we add the 80
deputies for the Seine and the 10 for the
colonies, we have the total Of Ssh which 10
the number OF deputies the new chamber
will contain or the 100 reactionaries elect
cd, there are only SO Bonapartists the
others comprise pure legitimists, Orleanists,
and a few clericGls, who are principally
noted for their metropolitan sentiments
There are fifty departments in which a sec
ond ballot will be necessary on the 18th In
slant, and In forty-oue the republicans have
TcactionariCs will make the struggle q very
close one. Success will only come to the
republicans by strict discipline.
THE RESULT ASALYzED.
The results Of the elections have taken a
great many persons by surprise. In the
last chamber there were 80 roactionlsts
and although at the end of the campaign 1t
was conceded that they would gain few
seats the most sangulne man of their own
party never dared to express the opinion
that they would double their number The
fact that they have on the first ballot Sc
Incurred $50 seats has caused dismay in the
MTepublican ranks, and each fraction of the
mparty has thrown the blame on the other
M The opportunists, who have been in power
III the past four years. say that the bitter war
made by the radicals against NJ. Ferry and
W his ministry has thrown the hesltating ones
into the arms Of the conservatives. The rad
M icals reply that the vote shows that the
W|country does not want any more Tonqun
WeXpeditiors, and Is making the whole party
; suirer for the faults committed by one
branch of it. The causes of the sharp
rharge arc not, 1t seems TO me, difficult to
determine.
THE ILIITERATE VOTE.
In following French politics we must
rever forget that the suffrage is exercised
by great mass of ignorant peasants and
gorldngmcn who have been brought up un-
der a patemal government The French
peasant, provided all goes we'll, is generally
satisfied with the existing government, but
let whirlwind come and uuroof his house
md tear up his vines; let river overflow
lis land let war take his children away
aud increase his taxes, and he will be sure
o lay the fault to the government aud vote
lgainst il II an election be nearat hand. Now
he prcsen' elections have taken place UNI
Ter unfavorablc circumstances.
HARD TIMES FOR THE GAULs.
France has been suffering for more than
wo years from an agricultural aud com
: nercia depression that has sorcly tried her
beOple. The Tonquin expedition has cost
!, millions, hundreds Of the French youth
AVE been killed, and the affair is not yet
!, over. All these things have been cleverly
i Exploited by the anti-republican coalition,
= (which has been very careful not to say 10
4 he peasant that 1t wanted to change the
Norm of government, but has simply ap'
n Ubealed to him to turn out the men who have
\ aused the crisis in affairs, increased his
lakes, and taken away his sons. Another
Nlueston which has been worked by the con.
= Ueryatiyes is the religious prosecutions. Al
hough Paris is skeptical, the country Ii
Utill religious, and the threatened separa
ion OF church and state has been used as
Hpugbear to Brighten timid men who, II they
r Ire not devout worshipers, have no desire
\ No openly break with the church, The dl
! Missions among tho republicans have not been
No important factor In the result as is
laimed for the reactlonarlcs have gained
learly all their seats In departments where
Mhere was only one list opposed to them
he republicans have been beaten IN
twenty-five departments. They were united
% nineteen of these twenty-five Another