Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-21
The straight Tickst-Msthods Employed
BIZ tho ward Hssiers of Those Dsys
20 Get Votes for Their Choice.
Twashineton star.l

| \ "A =
| velonments that he proposed TO exploit IN
| NE lecture and which he did IN most
scholarly, masterful, and classic manner.
The poiitlcal reporter was assigned 10
cover the lecture. Now. tho political re-
porter does not know anything aDou, ar
| cbanlogy and could not nope 10 ,epIouueo
the finished address of DIR. yelling. out
| no does Law claim to the ability 10 report u
ward primary and will therefore give the
noIitical points of tho lecture IN his own
! time and his own way.
An ANCIENT TICKET.
The first thing which greeted the eye
unon entering the hall last night was a
| blackboard upon which was inscribed the
| following:
For Duumvirate.
| NJ. Holconius Priscus.
| J.. Ceius Secundus.
| &. Gavlus Rufus.
&. Calventius.
Sittius Magnus.
For Edileship.
! NJ. Casellius Marcellus.
M. Cerrinlus Vatia.
| l.. Popidius Secundus.
| G. Cuspius Pansa.
g. Helvius Sabinus.
| l.. Albucus CELSIUS.
This seemed familiar. Here. evidently,
was a regular ticket, duly nominated and
up for election. The political reporter felt
at home Immediately. The surmise proved
TO be correct. DR.. yelling explained that
the foregoing was the regular straight
ticket for the election OF city ofhcers IN
| Pompeii. the last election which was ever
held there, for Pompeii vas buried by lava
! and ashes from al eruption OF tue vol
cano of Vesuvius on August 23d and oath
IN the year ~.
The foregoing inscriptions were found
engraved upon a number of walls and bill
boards of the city by the arch@ologists IN
making excavations In the doomed city
few years ago.
| ANNUAL ELECTIONS.
In those times il was customary to elect
| CITY officers every year. There were two
classes of officials-the duumvirs or select
men and the Rdile-who were market
| masters and inspectors of weights, su-
perintendcd the removal OF garbage, ahd
| made the street-sweepers toe the mark. All
candidates were put in spontaneous noml-
knation by friends, who some time before
Tthe election engraved the names OF their
candidates upon the walls of the town.
When Pompeiian politician was in the
hands of his friends" his name was imme-
diately posted on the bill boards.
thought he would be lin it " at the cleo.
ton, be went to the chiet selectman and
announced that he had decided to stand
for the election, having been induced by
the popuace to sacrifice himself to the
public good His name was then put on
the white list and there was no withdraw
lug after that
Pompeii was divided into wards. and
each ward had its boss. Primaries were
held IN every ward. at which certain candi-
dates we're decided upon a. the choice Of
| the ward. The general election was held
III the forum. The representatives OF the
wards assembled there on electiou-day
with their tablets. on which were written
their choice of candidates. The voters
came forward in q long line, passing one
| by one, through the polling place and de-
posting thor ballots in n box. There
were three judges of election, and each
candidate was permitted to station one of
his henchmen IN the polling place to see
that the opposition did not vote any It's
sue ballots OF stuff the box. There was no
opportunity TO monkey with the ballot
box in the forum. The candidate who re-
ceIved ma lority of the wards was de-
clared elected.
HOT CONTEST.
Judging from the inscriptions on the
city walls the last election IN POmpeli was
a hot one. Mr.. NJ. Cerrinius Vatia was the
candidate of 1.-The boys . for Gdile, aud Mr..
| 4
Rufus for duumvirs One Thebus, who
kept q tavern down on the Via Storta, was
the boss in that ward, and he sent his men
around engraving the following upon the
walls: "Ihebus and his customers nomI-
nate NJ. Holconus Prlscus and {. Gavlus
Rufus for duumvlrs." This was fair warn
ing to " the gang to come up and vote
the straight ticket, with no boiling.
Just across from the Forum, IN No. 10 OF
that street. were the headquarters ola club
named THE Late Topers." meaning to-
pers who topped until late at night and who
were never classed as "quitters." They
stuck up q sign as follows: The Late To-
pers beg the people to vote for Marcus "a
yinIus Natla Tor Eddie" Vatia, 1t seems,
was sport and had big following; Ihere
were other clubs who had candidates
There were the Isis Club" the Salt
yarders," the Sleepy Heads" and the
Little Thieves" Some of the wall H.
scrIptions give evidence of how warm the
fight waxed. Here are few samples:
90. Proculus, put In your full work fo'
our man Protto."
80, Eubonus. keep your eyes open "
80, lnfans, you are fast asleep, and yet
you say you ara electioneering."
The man who refuses TO vote for Gum
, tus ought to he mounted on an ass"
In one tavern in the First Ward, where
there was a well-attended primary, IL was
; evident that the proprietor met the emer-
gency of q large crowd, for the following
was found upon the walls:
30. landlord, you did great to get u;
them chairs"
An after-elec.ion echo is found in the
following inscription on the wall:
"Hurrah for the Saltyarders."
BIIL-PosTINa PROFITABLE
The business of bill-posting and wall
! engraving was big one in those days
Messrs. lntantlon. Onessimus, and Victo
were the most popular bill-posters II
town, each on his own account, until In
fantio announced that he had associated
with him Messrs. Florus, Faustus, anC
| Sabnus. who would be glad to see then
former friends and patrons at Mr.. Infsu
tio's old stand, where bill-posting woulc
/ be executed with neatness and dispatch
and the patronage OF the pubic was re-
specially solicited.
A certain baker named Titus Genianus
who had a shop on the corner with a side
wall running back to the alley. rented his
( wall to the bilI-posters, and this was one
, of the favorite bullet.l-boards of the
= town, where candidates. names were an
nounced before election and the returns
posted on election night.
Vatia, the sporting candidate, was wist
enough TO employ the most skiltul posters
and all of his signs were carefully exc
cuted, but Popidiuss man did not know
how 20 spell. He was catering TO the
popular vote, kind of sockless states
man. Unfortunately there is no record Of
! the result of tins interesting election anC