St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-11-23
POLITICS IN GREECE.


POLITICS IN GREECE.
Practieed t. Porfection.
Evisited the Parliament house yes
terday. 1t is q big three-story buisd-
ing OF brick and stucc0. which looks
moro like the mansion OF Paris mill
ionaire than a government Ofiice.
Ionic columns OF the purest whito
marble support portico over its front
door and its interior contains q
library. some Offices and the hall in
which the deputies meet There is
but one house in the Greek Parlia-
ment and this contains one hundred
and fifty members who are elected BY
the people Of the various provinces.
every man having the right to vote.
The members are elected for four
years. and they must sit not less than
three nor longer than six months eve
cry year. They receive salaries
amounting to four hundred dollars q
session. and il an extra session Is call
ed they get three hundred dollars
more. In the most prosperous
times they can not thus make more
than seven hundred dollars a year.
They have fully as much power rs
members OF Congress and they in
reality govern Greece. The King has
the veto power. but he would not dare
to exercise it against large majority
vote and the result is that his power IL
not much greater than that Of the
Queen Of England. The room in which
the Greek Parliament meets il about
rs big as the average church. holding
three hundred people. It's walls reach
from the floor to the top Of the three
story building which contains it. and
its ceiling is OF great panels OF gold
and white wood work. 1t is built in
the shape Of half moon and into the
walls are cut two rows OF CALLER
les, one above. the other. The
seats Of the deputies are semi-cir-
Gle benches which rise in con-
centric rows one above another. and
in the center Of which at the front Of
the room is the seat of the President
This scat is built between two great
white marble columns and in the gall
leries back OF 1t is sort OF an opera
box in which the King sits when he
attends the meetings. Marble busts of
the King and Queen stand ON pedes-
tails. just below this. and between the
deputies and the President are desks
at which sit the ministers OF the
Kings cabinet. The members them
selves have little desks . foot square
which are fastened to the backs OF the
benches in front Of them. and each
bench contains room for several MEM
bcra The Greeks are very fond of
speaking. and they are good speakers.
and place in this chamber is quite a.
much an honor here as is q
seat in our Senate. A politi-
clan 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 il it fails to hold the
support Of the Chamber Of Deputies
the opposition comes in and takes tho
reins. and on the old spoils system
Gusts the officials of the opposite par
ty and puts in its own. just now Mr..
Tricoupis. one of the greatest states
men of Greece. is the Premier. and his
party lately got tho reins. They
changed all the clerks and by looking
at the books proved their predecessors
guilty Of defraudiug the government
This was especially 30 in the custom
house Offices. all the old employees OF
which are. am told. now In prison.
while the clerks Of some OF tho other
Offices are awaiting triaL-E G. Car
pentcr. in Louisville Courier-JournaL