Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-16
POMPEIAN POLITICS.
DIR. yelling Tells How Elections Were
Conducted I'm the Ancient City.

There was a large attendance in the hall Of
the High School building at O'Clock yesterday
afternoon to hear DR.. J. {. Wellngs closing
lecture of the Columbian University course to
the teachers OF the public schools.
DIR. Welling's subject was Method of cleo
ton days in Pompeii." and having himself
traversed the streets Of that municipal mummy
his hearers were placed in elbow touch with
old Romans Of seventeen centuries ago. II was
IN the year 79, AID, that the city Was CON-
pletely buried and embalmed. and not till 1855
that excavations we're begun by the Neapolitau
government BY discoveries thus made
the habits and condition of these
ancient people have been windy and
infinitely pictured but the speaker
left the general subject to dwell on the election
customs Quoting the saying of Medium the
herman historian. that lac could live and he
happy IN any part of the world which had
history, the lecturer remarked that such
man could live IN any part of the hahltable
globe for nearly every part has it's history of
buried gener atoms, races and civilizations. If
only man had patience to dig for that history
and science enough to interpret its facts. The
scientific man well as the poet has his
Ihauatopsis." his vision of death. which. like
that unfolded TO the prophet Ezekiel when lac
was let down in valley full of dry bones.
could be quickened INTO a nav life by the sc,-
entlhc spirit. The comparative method of
modern science had taken facts which in their
isolation were dead and meaningless. and by
grouping and classifying them had found IN
them profound significance.
oLD-TIME BILL POSTING.
In the absence of newspapers all public an
nouncements in PompeIi were made by inscrip-
tlons on side walls usually of the houses. and
OF the l.450 inscriptions found and deciphered
1850 relate to elections These walls "a. led
Alhnms frat 81 Il II a II
Inscriptions usually written in red In these
inscriptions the voters o. the different districts
were urged to support some fayo.itc. The
votarles of Isis and of other gods were urged
to stand by this Or that candidate, and occa-
slonally some candidate was thus asked to vote
Tor certain other one who would IN return
vote for him. But the candidate was forbid
den TO buy votes. or even TO give dinners or
IN any such way TO influence voters. aud he had
TO swear by all the gods in the vicinity that he
hadn't done so. The voters from the different
districts were voted in squads, presumably 10
prevent any candidate from getting bulge
early In the day and influencing the result.
Ihe order OF voting was determined by lot.
MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.
The officers elected every year were two chief
magistrates (duumvirs juri dcundo) and two
sdiles. or overseers of police. public roads.
public buildings, &c. An advisory. council of
100 decuriones WAS recruited from the ranks of
men who had filled either OF the above places.
and perhaps from other distinguished citizens.
The right OF suffrage was universal among adll
males Slaves excepted). but Office holding was
limited by property qualification of 100000
sesterces, about $1,000. The town was divided
into six election precincts. and an election de-
pended on carrying "a majority of these regard
less of the popular vote. ANY one could nomi-
nate a candidate by signing his name to the
announcement on one of the public albums.
VI the lilo candidates nominated in 4. ID. 80
only ten competed at the poles The names of
those who decide 10 run were written on au
official album. probably in the forum In vut-
ing the electors passed between two posts
which were connected at the top with a rod.
and announced their choice 20 telers. There
were no parties or political issues each candi-
date relying on his qualifications and popu-
larity.
LABOR LEAGUES AND CLUBS.
Pompeii was famous for its labor leagues and
the part they took in elections The speaker
gave list, including bakers, dyers. poulterers,
fullers goldsmiths. onion dealers. mule drivers
tavern keepers, DC. There were also social
Clubs such as the Old Topers. the Late Drink
ers. the Little Thieves, the Sleepy Heads and
others. each of which had its fayorite candi-
dates and urged the boys to ''whoop 'er up for
him. One election bill purportcd to be signed
by the goddess Venus aha another proclaimed
that anybody who would not vote for a certain
candidate deserves TO be mounted Oh AN ass.
THE SALOON IN POLITICS.
The speaker dwelt on the power of the saloon
in Pompeian politics and gave list of tavern
keepers who in 80 worked the town for their
candidates. Among these tavern keepers were
many women. who mingled openly in the pre-
hminaries of the electoral contest The
speaker said the best single collection of mscrip-
tons is the Corpus Inscriptionum Latlnarum.
volume ~. He exhibited plat of the town
showing many desirable lots with a bay front
still unsold. and at the close of the lecture tie
teachers were invited to examine book of in-
scriptions he had copied from the walls.
Among these was the advertisement OF a snake
charmer, the winding line being made 10 rep
resent serpent, and thus to speak double IAN
guage.