Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-07-06

IN taxes, and a cOI.'.ty vote comes a little
higher. We SPEAK of the educational pro.
viso as being ornsrrental rather than use
full, because SO few smparatively take ad.
vantage of ii, send for the additional res.
son that 1t sppliss OILY locally In gene
raj elections, like that just held, this pro-
vision has no forCs.. Here it is only taxa
ton which conf 'he right of suffrage.
The voter mt " about sight dollars
and forty cents IN direct taxes This may
be on property, or in any other way, bu,
that amount rIust be handed over to the
government in some form, or there is no
vote. The amount seems small enough,
but to see how entirely prohibitive it is to
to look at the exceedingly abbreviated cleo
ton lists. The voters at present number
about hundred and thirty thousand,
while the population is over six millions.
Surely there is abundant need for reform,
and it is gratifying to know that what is
so necessary is also imminent
Both of the leading parties are pledged
to an extension of the franchise. The
Catholic party, which, by reduced ma
iority, has just been given a new lease of
power, will hardly extend it on lines
which will satisfy the Liberals. Party
politics, like human nature, are much the
same the world over, and here, as else
where, the dominant party may be expect
ed, in its new measure of reform, to con-
slider fret how, in serving the dear people,
it can also serve itself. But the people
will be served all the same, and the opin-
ion of the most intelligent of those with
whom we have conversed is that the Libe-
raj party, had the opportunity been given
it, might have introduced no more new
voters in the aggregate than the Catholics
are likely to bring in, though, of course,
the new recruits would have been drawn
in tine former contingency from different
classes.
Required to choose between the two
leading parties in this country, American
sentiment would be sure to array itself
under the banner of Liberalism. The
Catholic party is conservative, and its op-
ponents say reactionary. The names,
however, might mislead. There are prob
ably few who are not devout church peo-
pie attached to the latter, but the Liberals
muster many Catholics as we'll II they
did not they would be too utterly insignif-
icant to attract notice, for there are not
more than twenty thousand Protestants in
all Begium, aud the few Jews in the coun-
try would not swell the number to much
beyond twenty-five thousand. But it is
the same here as in France and some other
European nations The more Intelligent
amongst the male population, while they
are Catholics in name, do not work at the
business much II is customary with this
class to leave church observances to the
priests and women, and this is the class
which, as a rule, with reinforcements from
radicals aud socialists, and from the small
Protestant and Jewish contingents, not to
speak of those who are without religious
l. II. -. l..
called the Liberal party.
1t is not wholly struggle for spoils be-
tween these contending factions. There
are great principles at stake, and perhaps
the foremost of these is the school Ques-
ton. The Catholic party is for keeping
the educational interests of the country in
the hands of the church. The supreme
dictator in every school must be the priest
Against this policy the Liberals protest,
and in the great centers where they are in
control-as in Brussels and Antwerp
they SO manage matters as to keep the
priests in partial subordinstion. They
may enter the school, and may even teach
a lesson, but they have no voice in the
management, and what religious instruc-
ton is regularly given, like the teaching of
the Catechism-which is universal-must
be given, not by them, but by the regular
schools in these cities. But the Catholic
party, divested of educational control in
these schools. has secured by law the es-
tablishment of others. AS matters now
stand, upon the request of twenty-five
heads of families new school can be
started at any time. In recent years many
such schools have been called for, and, OF
course, in these the priest is supreme, as
he formerly was in all These schools,
moreover, are supported, like the others,
by taxation. a condition of affairs which
the Liberal party, had 1t been successful
in last weeks election, would have made
haste to remedy.
In being here during election week we
were peculisaly fortunate. At such times
one may expect to see both sides Of peo-
pie, and our expectations in this respect
were not disappointed. To speak of the
bad side frst, We must say that on the
days preceding and following the great
day of decision, and particularly ON elec
ton day itself, We were a regretfnl ey,
witness of much heavy drinking and OF
many clearly defined instances of maudlin
and uproarious intoXicstion. Ordinarily
the drinking. they tell us, Is light, both a.
regards quality and quantity, bnt at elec
tion times the prevalent excitement, IL !,
very evident, carries many 20 excess
Even in this matter, however, one mus
ray n good word for this people. for th,
effects of over indulgence In drink wer,
not nearly so apparent as they would hav,
been under similar circumstances In tn,
United State-, and, of course, nothing
like what they would have BEEN in GIeai
Britain. The sc.Bcs of violence on elec
ton night were bad as far as they went
but, whatever may have been affirmed tC
hs. thnrsa nnfhtnn amnrnanh
ing u general riot. What most impressed
us as We moved with the crowds was tn,
general good nature md obvious self-con
troll of the Belgian mob. The Guards Civ
| ique were called ont, but IL was more fo
show than from real necessity. So, al
least, IL appeared TO us. and besides, thi
spic and span military force, made up o.
city merchants, is nearly always on pa
rade upon public OccAsioB.. They lOol
pretty and the people like 20 see them
To give au example Of election meth
ods, the city Of Antwerp with its TIVE
hundred and forty thousand Of popula
tion Is divided into thirty. eight voting
| districts, and these are each sub divideC
into what we should call precincts. EAcl
| precinct forms n voting center for those IN
| the district whose names begin with Ger
| tain letters of the alphabet. Toe poll
/ open at nine, usually in some publi'
building. At the French theAteF, wher
| many from the country voted, i found
great crowd at ten o'clock. The name
of voters were being called, aud eAcl
man as he answered pRsssd b-hind q screel
and put on record there his political pref
erences. This process was continued I'll
the roll was exhausted and then, of course
with the completion of the roll the poll
ing of votes ceased. Aside from this pt
culiar way of voting, the election wa
conducted much like our own. Bill pos
ers were kept busy to the last momer
putting up appeals to the voters, and th
press was run a white heat. And as
further and entirely conclusive proof {
the world wide kinship of political hr
man nature, we became fully convince
from reading these that each of the pa
ties was a paragon of virtue in its ow
eyes, and each, just as surely, from II
other angle of vision, q combination {
Altogether the charges and counte
charges were SO confusing that we fe
happy In not having to choose sides.
But Belgium is a great country for OF
SO little. and her people, judged by E,
ropean standards, are remarkably INTEL
gent and happy. We must not compa,
throughout are far lower than with u
In round figures il may be affirmed wit
absolute truth that the average week
earnings of bricklsyers, nasons, plumbe
aud carpenters in the city of AntweI
would only slightly exceed five dollar
and of course common laborers fare muc
worse. This is dreadful from our poil
of view. But rents and clothing al
cheap, and so are some of the staples I