Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-25


his power is not much greater than that of
the Queen of England.
The Greeks are very fond of speaking and
they are good speakers, and place in this
chamber is quite as much an honor here as
Is seat In our Senate. A politician has in
fact more influence here than in the United
States, and it is men rather than measures
which constitute the politics of Greece. The
party In power.rules and controls the Offices,
and II 1t fails to hold the support of the
Chamber OF Deputies the opposition comes
in and takes the reins and on the old spoils
system Gusts the officials OF the opposite
Tricoupis, one of the greatest statesman of
Greece, is the Premier, and his party lately
got the reins. They changed all of the
clerks, and by looking at the books proved
their predecessors guilty of defrauding the
Government This was especially so in the
custom house Offices. All of the old en-
ployes, Of which are, I am told, now in
prison, while the clerks of some of the other
offices are awaiting trial.
STUMP SPEAKERS POPULAR.
The elections in Greece are held some
what on the same plan as in America.
There is stump speaking before hand and
many of the same electioneering lodges are
played. Not few ofthe wives of the candi-
dates have recently helped in the election of
their husbands to Parliament, and 1 was
told of an Athens lady who at the last
election, seeing that her husband was likely
to be defeated, took several embroidered
flags to neighboring villages and calling the
people together, told them that all such as
wanted to vote for her husband would have
free passage to Athens and tickets to the
theater. She then presented them the flag
n fh4 h1I1 IoI
of cheap trip to the capital accepted
the offer and the husband now sits in the
chamber. In the professions of candidates
in Athens it is, am told, not an uncommon
sight to see the wife of q candidate in fine
clothes riding along in carriage and dis
tributing election documents and sometimes
flowers to the people. In the getting up of
a boom for a candidate, his friends surprise
him by serenades and demands for speeches
in front of his house. The candidate comes
out, and just as among our politicians at
home. protests that he is surprised and goes
on to make his ''extempore" remarks by
pnlling roll of manuscript from his coat
tail pocket.
Ali of the elections and public meetings
of Greece even to the court balls are held
upon Sunday. The election polls are in the
churches and the chief election place of
Athens is the Cathedral. The voters are
all registered and the balloting is done ir
such a way that fraud is hardly possible.
Each candidate has ballot box of his own
and his udge sits behind it. These boxes
are in a row along one side Of the church
and this place is so fenced off that only one
man can pass along and vote at one time.
The boxes themselves are about foot
square and each has round pipe-like hole
in its top just large enough to admit the
IS
through the middle of the box until it meets
BUCKsHoT BALLOTS.
The ballots are buckshot and the voter
casts his ballot in the affirmative or mega
tive according as he cast his shot into the
compartment on the right or left side of the
box. His name is given as he starts in to
vote and he is handed Just as many buck
shot as there are candidates and no more.
Each judge can see that he pulls up his
sleeve and that he has only one bullet in his
hand before he puts it into the box, and as
he drops it into the right or left inside the
box no one can see how he votes, and fraud
is almost impossible. There is no ballot
box stufhng in Greece, and in case the
bullets in the boxes do not correspond with
the tally at the entrance the whole vote is
thrown out.
Both in the making of laws and in the
elections the greatest of care is taken to
prevent fraud, and in the chamber of depu-
ties bill must be discussed and voted upon
article BY article on three separate days be-
fore it can be passed. The standard of in
the poorest consider themselves on an
equality with the richest and the bluest
blooded. The modern Greek, whatever his
condition, does not imagine that he can be
below you in station and the waiter at cafe
or the driver on street car does not hesi-
tate to chat with you and to express his
opinions.
A PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE.
The people are very patriotic, and they
believe in the future of Greece. They are
making wonderful progress. Already they
have 3S9 miles of railroad, and there is talk
of line which will 60 from Athens north,
and will make connections with the rail-
roads of Europe. This will bring the East
at least day nearer Europe, aad it will
probably divert large part of the trade
and travel which goes from India and
Egypt to Paris and London by Italy to
Greece. 1t will make the city of Athens
one of the great cities of Europe, and will
make a material change in the country.
At present all vessels going to Con-
stan.inopIe and Athens must sail around
the Peloponesus, great peninsula.
which lies at the south end of
Greece and which is the southernmost point
of Europe. The seas about this are very
stormy and the passage is always rough. BY
the Corinth canal, which is now being cut,
the boats will be able to come through the
Gulf of Corinth above the Peloponesus, and
a day will be saved between Athens, and
Italy and the ships which 60 to CONSTANT
nople will save two days in their voyages
from Naples and Sicily. An immense
amount of shipping will in this way be
brought to Athens and the city will increase
even more rapidly than it is now doing.
The people show themselves capable of
taking advantage of every improvement.
They are more like Americans than orien-
tails, and they do not scruple to spend money
on public Improvements. The Athens of
to-day is a town of theaters and good hotels.
1t is city of fine schools and of museums.
1t has good society and its people are as
bright and we'll posted as those of most
cities of Europe.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
TIE MONKEY AND TIE MIRROR.
Singular Behavior of an Ape on First Seeing