Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-07-19
POMPEIAN POLITICS,
DR. yelling Tells How Elections Were
Conducted in the Ancient Citv

DR. yelling Tells How Elections Were
Conducted in the Ancient City.
In lecture at Washington, DR.. j. c.
yelling, the historical scholar, tells how
politics was run in the days of Pompoii.
In the absence of newspapers all public
announcements in Pompeii were made
by inscriptions on side walls. usually of
the houses, and of the 1 ,450 inscriptions
found and deciphered $50 relate to
elections. These walls, called albums,
were first whitened with chalk and the
inscriptions usually written in red. In
these inscriptions the voters of the differ
ent districts were urged to support some
favorlte. 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
to buy votes, OF even to give dinners, or
in any such way influence voters, and he
had to swear by all the gods in the vicin-
ity that he hadn't done so. The voters
from the different districts We're 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 (duumvirs iuri
dicundo) and two edies or overseer, 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
eXceptedD, but office holding was limited
by property qualification Of 100, 600 scs-
terces-about $1,000. The town was di-
vided into election precincts, and an
election depended on carrying majority
of these regardless of the popular vote.
Any one could nominate candidate by
signing his name to the announcement
on one of the public albums. OF the rs
candidates so nominated in A. d. 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-
nected at the top with rod, and an
nounced their choice to tellrrs. There
were no parties or political issues, each
candidate relying on his qualifications
and popularity.
Pompril was famous for its labor
leagues and the part they took in cleo
tions, The speaker gave list, including
bakers, dyers, poulterers, fullers, gold
smiths, onion deale $, mule drivers, tav-
ern 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
favorite candidates and urged the boys
to "whoop er up for him. One election
bill purported to be signed by the goddess
Venus and another proclaimed that any
body who would not vote for certain
candidate observes to be mounted on
an ass.
The speaker dwelt on the power of the
saloon in Pompeian politics and gave list
of tavern keepers who in 70 worked the
town for their candidates. Among these
tavern keepers were many women, who
mingled openly in the preliminaries of