Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-09
PoMPEIArf POLITICS.

n, yelling Tells How Elections Were
Conducted In the Ancient city.
In lecture at Washington, DIR. j. @.
W,lling. the histori, al scholar, tells how
politcs was run in the daysof Pompeii-
In the absence of newspapers all public
announcements in Pompeii We're made
by inscriptions on side walls, usually Of
,is houses, azd Of the .450 inscriptions
found and deciphered $50 relate to
elections. These walls, called albums,
were frt whitened with chalk and tho
inscriptions usually written in red In
these Inscriptions the voters of the differ
snt districts were urged to support some
hvarite. The votaries of Isis and of other
GODS were urged to stand by this or that
candidate. and occasionally some candi-
date was thus asked To vote for a certain
other one who in return would vote for
him. But the candidate was forbidden
10 buy votes, or even to give dinners. or
IN any such way influence voters, and he
hal to swear by all the gods in the vicin-
ity that he hadn't done SO. The voters
from tn different districts were voted
IN squads presumably to prevent any
candidate from getting bulge early in
the day and influencing the result. The
order of voting was determined by lot.
The officers elected every year were
two chief magistrates (duumvinB juri
dicundo) and two @diles or overseers of
police, public roads. public buildings,
etc An advisory council of 100 decuri-
ones was recruited from the ranks of
men who had filled either OF the above
places and perhaps from other distin-
guished citizens. The right of suffrage
was universal among adult males Slaves
excepted, but office holding was limited
by property qualification Of 100. 900 ses-
terce about 5000 The town was di-
vided into 0 election precincts, and an
election depended ON carrying a majority
Of these regardless of the popular vote.
Any one could nominate candidate by
signing his name 10 the announcement
on oneof the public albums. OF the 116
candidates so nominated in A. ID. 70 only
10 competed at the polls. The names of
those who decided to run were written
on an official album, probably in the
forum. In voting the electors passed
between two posts, which were con-
necied at the top with a rod, and an
nounccd their choice TO tellera There
were no parties or political issues, each
candidate relying ON his qualifications
and popularity.
Fompeii was famous for its labor
leagues and the part they took in cleo
ions The speaker gave list, including
takers, dyers, poulterers, fullers, gold
smiths, onion deale $, mule drivers, tav-
aTn Keepers, etc. There were also social
clubs, such as the Old Topers, the Late
Drinkers, the Little Thieves, the Sleepy
Heads, and others, each Of which had its
iavorite candidates and urged the boys
% -whoop 'er up for him. One election
nu purPorted 10 be signed by the goddess
Venus and another proclaimed that any
body who would not vote for certain
candidate deserves to be mounted on
an ass.
The speaker dwelt on the power of the
sAioon In Pompeian politics and gave list
on tavern keepers who in 70 worked the
to~nfor their candidates. Among these
'Avern keepers were many women, who
mingled openly in the preliminaries Of
The electoral contest.