St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-03
AN ELECTION IN FRANCE.
How Boulanger Carried the Great City
of Paris.
A VERY RACY DESCRIPTION.
OF the Sights and Incidents of Paris
at the Last Great Elec-
ton.

The Sc0tchman who told his master
in reply to the question of how he liked
the Sunday music at Westminster
Abbey. "that it was an awful way of
spending the Sawbath," would GER
tainly have been shocked at the way
Paris spent yesterday. There was, of
course, just as much church going az
ever, but politics tar outstripped pray
ers, and the very morning performances
at the theaters were thinly attended
when compared with former Sundays.
The fact is, that the French citizen is
fearfully important person when
he does that civic duty which
France expects her dutiful sub
jectS to do on election days.
AS the clock strikes eight the polling
places are opened, and yesterday they
opened as if the fate of Europe depended
on the use made Of the prOSy looking
wooden boxes, which by some wild
figure of speech are called 'urns." Then
began the putting in of tickets through
Sits. A thin stream of constituents
opened the ball. England has forty
counties and America has her thirty
eight states. Paris has twenty districts
or ACCOMPLISHMENTS. These are sliced
out into sections, and every species of
elector goes up to the president of his
particular section and votes. There is
certainly good deal of honest
democracy about
AN ELECTION DAY IN PARIS.
The prosperous shOpkeeper in his
awkWard-loOking Sunday brOadcloth,
the blue or white bloused workman, the
priest and the stern-looking arIstocrat,
all stand equally before the altar Of
universal suffrage.
Outside were crowds of fresh air de-
batting societies making speeches which
could scarcely be reported by short
hand writer.
Said tall man in the court yard OF
the marie in the Rue Drouot: 81 tell
you what it is, it you vote for Boulanger
he will lead France to war and disas-
ter" TO this short man with shorter
hair replied: ''Oh, yes; / suppose you
want us to vote for Jacques to please
Bismarck" and so arguing and bawl-
ing went on in every district. Hap
PLY, however, there was very little
fighting. One man knocked another,
down at the marie of Belleville, but it
was evidently case not of politics, but
of the opal liquor called absinthe.
But 6 O'clock strikes and the boxes
are opened. "Rien ne va plus" said
the president of the st. Vincent de Paul
section, just as if he were at Monte
friendly rake in his hand. And then
commences the scrutiny.
BOulangiSts were very suspicious
about this. There were whispers about
double bottomed boxes, in which re-
served tickets might be Smuggled away.
Then again every hundred votes are
put into an envelope and sealed up most
carefully. 1t must be confessed that
these envelopes in the hands of a clever
prestidigltateur might be manipulated
WITH FRUITFUL RESULTS.
The Derouledists were specially COM
missioned by the doughty Paul to see
that there was nothing OF a hanky
panky character, and they did their
work with almost insulting frankness.
While the counting was going on there
were great doings at Durand'S reStau-
rant. M. Naquet dined down stairs
with Paul Deroulede and another inky,
dark man with carnation in his button
hole. Paul kept the telephone by his
side working away like steam. He
looked very jubilant, and his wOndrous
great coat was left hanging SOlemnly on
a peg. M. Naquet looked pale.
At the door was rare crowd OF adj
mirers. They seemed to be awaiting
their idol with Impotence, and they
gave ovations to the white haired chas-
Seur at the door, and even to the win
dows behind which they supposed that
the general was eating his hard earned
meal.
M. jacques was at a cafe i'll the Rue
Richelieu. Although cOnsOled and en-
couraged by M. Ranc, he did not seem
in his chance Of victory.
The news begins to spread like wild
fire that the general is ahead. The
Jacuuists look furious. sit can not be-"
they say; ''the suburbs will floor him."
Unfortunately the suburbs come in with
decided majorities. TranSparencieS at
the Presse, Cocarde, Gil Bias and other
newspaper offices are surrounded by
thousands, and the huge square pave
ment of the Place de POpera is packed
with anxious starers. ''Vive Bou-
langer!" rises like thunder from the
Boulevard DIES Capucines. poor
jacques" cry the urchins, the figures
90 on increasing and the Joy of the Bou-
IangiStS now amounts to frenzy.
They march in crowds down the Rue
da Quatre Septembre, singing those
Boulangist ditties which have made the
political fortune of George or Ernest.
In the Rue MOntmartre there was an
ugly rush during the evening, in which
a few women and babies bore away
with them unpleasant memories of this
historical evening. The police were
CONSPICUOUS by their absence. fact
which led to there being no provOca-
ton on either side. Even the few ser
gents de vile, whose duty it was to pa
troll special points, seemed to hesitate
about interfering with the BOulangistS.
1t is astonishing how even policemen
have an eye for the rising sun. A
strange fact in this connection is that
the Notre Dame district, which is chiefly
inhabited by policemen. voted III very
marked way for the general-in fact,
EVERYBODY VOTED FOR HIM.
Wives went with their husbands to
the polling places, and so did their Sis
tiers. mothers and lady friends. ''Tu
yoteras pour lie general, mon eherie,
n'est-ce paS?' was the sweet appeal of
the sex which does not vote but which
can influence the dreary and submissive
male.
More shouting. This time it is Soon
spree, Floquetw This is very hard on
the president of the council. who
wounded the general i'll Count billions
garden, and who twitted him once with
the negative response formerly given in
the Charente Inferieure by that
naughty. whimsical thing called ami
yerSal suffrage.
Gen. Boulanger himself never had a
moments doubt about the eventual re-
suit. He knew that he had the wearers
of yioletS with him as well as the wear.