Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-03
Modern Australian Ballots We're En-
ployed by the Old Romans.
GREEKS USED A SECRET BALLOT
The Pope Chosen by a Two-Thirds Secret
Vote of the Cardinals.
HOW A VENETIAN D0GE WAS ELECTED

|
satisfied with viva voce voting. The
Hebrews, before they had kings, might be
called self-governing people. Strictly,
however, their theory of government put
everything in the hands of God, and in
technical terms was theocracy II
public officer must be chosen, he was named
by Gods representative, the priest or
prophet Or else lots were cast, and it was
expected that God would Send the right lot
| to the right man. 1t is not unlikely that
such casting of lots gave the first hint of q
secret ballot.
According to writer in the New York
Eoe,sing San, the ancient Greeks used the
ballot In enacting laws and in courts, where
there were large number of Judges. The
ballot there was originally pebble, whole
for yes vote, or pierced with hole for
| no.
Voting by Wheels and Pebbles.
Sometimes there was only one stone,
which was dropped into yes or no box.
Later the pebble was changed for little
bronze wheel A few of these have been
found in modern times, stamped on one side
with the words "Official ballot" and on the
other with the number of the judicial dis
| trict.
| In electing officers the Greeks voted by
| show of hands. Often officers were ap-
| pointed by lot. White and black beans
were used for lots, and those who were un-
| derstood to be hungry for Office received the
| suggestive name Of beaneaters. The idea
| here was that every citizen was good enough
| to hold office, and::this was the most impair
tial way of dividing the spoils They never
used secret ballot to vote for candidates
in the modern fashion, but only to vote
against them.
If party spirit was running high, and the
power of q boss was growing dangerous, q
vote Of exile was ordered. Each citizen
of broken cr0ckery, and put this vote Sc
cretly into the box. ANY boss against whom
there was sufficient majority must leave
the country for ten years.
Ostracism Like q Modern Ballot.
cism, Is really the nearest approach the
Greeks made to modern ballot system.
Ostracism went out of use because on q GER
tain important occasion the thunderbolt
failed to hit either of the prominent lead
ers, but struck comparatively obscure
person.
The details are not quite clear. It has
been suggested, however, that the great
bosses made a deal by which they were to
let each other alone, and give all the votes
to a troublesome third party man. This re-
suit was so unsatisfactory to the people that
ostracism was given up.
The ballot was introduced into Rome In
the second century B. G. This was the real
Australian ballot. The voter received
wooden slate covered with wax on which
the names of all the candidates were
scratched. He made holes in the wax op-
posite those of his choice and dropped his
tablet in the box.
After the downfall of the Roman Repub-
lie popular government took a long sleep.
and there was little use for ballot till
quite modern times. Still, some of the
most curiously elaborate ballot systems
known were developed in the small govern
ing bodies of the middle ages.
Cardinals Voting for q Pope.
One of these is the form for electine a
Pope, which has continued to our own time.
Ali the cardinals are locked up together in
suite of rooms at the Vatican, and for.
'bidden to have any communication with
the outside world till they have made q
choice Food is passed in to them, but if
the Pope is not elected within few days
they are put on prison rations by way of
quiokening their work.
A ballot is taken every morning, followed
by another. to give an opportunity for
printed blank. He first signs it then folds
It over so as to conceal the signature, and
seals it. On the uncovered part of the
papsr he writes the name of his candidate.
If there is not q two-thirds majority the
ballots are burned, and the smoke tells the
waiting crowd outside that there is no
election.
The same process is repeated every even.
ing. Whenany candidate gets the necessary
two-thirds the sealed signatures are opened,
to make sure that no Unauthorized person
has voted. Then the election Is publicly
announced.
This carefulness, however, is nothing to
that which was used in electing Doge of
Venice. The Venetian legislators, despair
ing of getting an election which would not
be controlled by politicians intrigues called
in the lot as their helper.
The Election OF a Doge of Venice.
When Doge was to be elected the Great
Council Of between 400 and 500 members
was called together. Those below 30 years
of age were shut out and the names of the
rest we're written on slips of paper. A |
small boy was then picked up on the street |
and brought in to draw out-30 names
Out of these 80-nine were chosen to 60 on |
with the election. They we're to choose 40 |
others. -Four of them nominated five each, |
must be confirmed by two-thirds vote of |
The nine. Out of these 40 names IL were
taken by lot.
The IL in the same way chose q new
board of 25 the chairman nominating three
and each of the others two, q three-fourths
vote being necessary to elect. Lots were
again drawn for nine of the 25 These nine
in the same way choose 45 others of whom
the lot pick out II.
These II, still in the same form, nominate
Il to elect the Doge. Each of these must
be confirmed by a majority vote of the
whole Of the Great Council. Then the Al |
were locked up together to go on with their
election. While they were locked up each
of them was furnished with whatever he
asked for, regardless of expense. But the
same must be given to each of the Al.
For instance, there was once an elector
who wished to read in 4Esop's Fables He
got his book, but not till all Venice had
been ransacked to find the necessary Al
copies At another time one of them ordered
a rosary. Forty-one rosaries made their ap-
pearance in due form.
A Trying Time for News Seekers.
This treatment was expected to make the
electors so unanimous that at least 25 of
them would agree on doge. When this
took place the rigmarole was over. An
evening newspaper, trying to follow the re-
turns in Venice at that time, would have
had painful times.
Coming back to the ballot as used by COM
mon mortals, and coming down to this GEN.
tury, the Hungarian ballot of 80 years ago is
one of the most interesting. The voter had
given to him stick from four to six feet
long. With this he went alone into q room
yha~ h. l,o1I Iok knvo v,ln III i