The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-22

scribed on the banners and transparencies
in the procession we're:
Class privileges beget rebellion. but equahy
IL the mother Of obedience
Everyone has right TO express his opinion.
No equality without universal suffrage.
The Belgian people have no rights, only oh-
ties.
Belgium has the most limited suffrage IN the
world.
Universal suffrage cannot be bought up.
Make way for the poor and the hardworking
cIasees.
why have Belgian workingmen fewer rights
than their French and German brothers,
The constitution guarantees all equalitv De-
fore the law. Why not. then. universa SUI
fragey
All rights are born of the people.
1--we are not voters we will not be soldierG
Equality everywhere and for all
The huge procession moved through the
finest streets. by the Offices of the great
liberal dailies. and to the park entrance,
shouting, Long live universal suffrage,
and at every corner passed crowds OF work-
ing people also shouting Long i've uni
ve-sal suffrage"
The speech of the day at the park was
made by Agitator voiders. Al the close
of his harangue ne raised his right hand
and read the following oath:
We. workingInen and democrats. assembled
In the park at st. Giles on August 10, 1890,
pledge oursely. to fight, without rest and with.
out Abatement. tll. with the sid Of universal
Seventy thousand right hands were
raised as Volders read the last word OF
the oath ane 10000 voices shouted: I'VE
swear it" The assembly then resolved to
send this paper TO the two Belgian
chambers:
The demonstration OF the people of all Bel
GUM II August 10, 1900. gives the representa-
lives OF the present voters notice that the great
messes protest against the untusiihaDie aud
dangerous privilege OF the existing system and
against the oDetinacy with which the present
voters ignore ali demands OF the people, and
that they see therein an Imminent peril OF the
Belgian state.
In the evening the socialistic section OF
the demonstration held q meeting In st.
Michaei's hail, aud, alter listening 70 in
fammafory addresses from Volders and his
colleagues. sent this curt Geographic mes
sage to King Leopold Ii:
To the King at Castle Ldeksn: For your in
formation. You have dessred from yonr people
= wascbword That watchword is Universal
suffrage"
The GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE BELGIAN WORK
INGMEEs PAgTY
The state o. affairs that led to this great
demonstration may be described in a sen.
tence: Belgium has more than 5000. 600
inhabitants and only about 100,OO voters.
Persons may dispute among themselves
as to the ideaiIfy of the proposed system of
suffrage in Belgium" said a Belgian politi-
cal writer OF reputation and acknowledged
fairness recently. Concerning the bad
ness Of the existing system, however. there
is little difference of opinion. Whoever
paws 30 francs direct taxes may vote.
Whoever pays 1000 francs direct taxes
may be chosen senator. Even in reaction
airy Austria only gulden is the tax test
for voting. That is but one-quarter the
amount OF our tax qualification. Intelli-
gence and education are no considerations
with Us. The university professor who pays
bug AZ francs direct tax, may no. vote, be-
cause he pays 80 confines, too lit
tie TO be allowed by the constitution
TO pass influential judgment on public
questions. On the other hand, an ignorant
peasant farmer, who cannot read or write.
who cannot distinguish between X and U,
may help say how Belgium shall be gov
erned. The two trade marks of the Bel
GUM system are unlimited power of the
money bag and unrestricted exclusion of
intelligence from the exercise of all polit-
| icai rights. In Belgium even the casting
| OF the ballot is purely mechanical. Al
| most nothing is lett TO the voter. for the
reason that of the 100 900 or 10000 voters,
| about 10000 can neither reed nor write. In
| consequence of this fact the government
| has taken refuge in All exceedingly compli-
| Gated voted apparatus, which will surely be
copied by the Chinese one of these days
| Five days before election day. at
| the latest, each candidate appears
before presiding justice and
| tells whether he is Catholic, Protestant or
Independent Then the list OF candidates
| is made out and copied on each of the
| official ballots. The Liberal row is on the
left. the independent row in the middle
the Clerical row on the right. The names
| OF the Liberal candidates are stricken
through with blue pencil. those of the
Clericals with red pencil Over the name
| of each candidate is little black-lined
| square, and in it little white point. In
| voting this little white point Is marked
black. Thus with the aid of the red and
| and blue lines and the little white point
| the voter who can neither read nor write il
enabled TO cast his ballot. The whole act
| is entirely mechanical. and most of tho
peasant voters do not even know the name,
of the men they give their ballots TO. Tn,
continuation OF such system is simply
Impossible"