The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-05-25

/ y
After long elamoring for manhoos
suffrage, the working people of Bel
GUM won that reform suddenly ii
April. 1t was refused by vote. %
almost six to one on the eleventh q
April by present Chamber of Dep
uties, elected last June for the speeia
work OF revising the Constitution
Seeing that their chance of gainiua
the boon might pass, and not com,
again soon unless they shaded them
selves determined To obtain il a
once, tens of thousands of protesting
workmen forsook their employment,
next day
Before six days more had gone by
over hundred thousand workmrl
had stopped labor in coal-minrs
printing houses. and indeed ali
sorts of trades. Many factories were
idle, and great losses were inflicted
on employers. The leaders of the
labor party threatened unanimous
strike in Belgium, which is one of
the most thickly populated and bust
est countries in Europe.
When ii become plain that the
masses were in earnest and that seri
Gus injury to business, if not some
thing worse than that, might ensue
1t the boon were refused, the Cham
Der of Deputies yielded, and on
April 18th reversed their former de-
cision, and conceded manhood suf-
frage by vote of one hundred and
nineteen to twelve. At once the
country became tranquil, and the
people returned to work.
The democratic victory was not,
however, SO complete as might be,
though from the fact that every Bel
gian male of voting age will hereaf-
ter be among the electors.
Men of the propertied classes are
to have each from one to four votes.
according to the amount, nature and
location of their possessions but
this plural voting will not materially
decrease the future political strength
of the working people.
Hitherto the propertied classes of
Belgium monopolized representation
under monarchical system resem-
bling the British. About one Belgi-
an man in ten had a vote in choosing
Deputies. If the privileged classes
had governed justly, they might long
have been undisturbed in their ex-
clusiy suffrage but they acted as
privileged people usually do-they
their political power to deny
reforms to the masses,
All about them-in France, Ger
many, Holland, Great Britain-tbe
Belgian wo1 kers saw in operation
laws that required employers to pro-
vide fol the safety and health of
their ''hands;' laws favoring trades
unions, laws limiting the hours of
labor and the employment of women
and children but the Belgian
hands," lacking votes and therefore
lacking champions in the Chamber,
could obtain no laws of the kind.
This accounts for the many strikes
and riots of working people in Bel
GUM of late years. No doubt the
country will prosper more quietly
under manhood suffrage.
During the turmoil of the great
strike the situation was of intense
interest to the world because of a
Fear that it might bring on war be-
tween France and Germany. TIL is
fear arose from an understanding
hat the German government is |
bound by a secret treaty to restore
order In Belgium in any case when
The Belgian authorities find them
selves unable to do so. In this case.
Belgian soldiers and policemen were
thought unlikely to shoot and Climb
he striking masses at the dictation
If the minority of privileged proper
,y-owners.
The Belgians are generally French |
n language and sympathy. Their
country would be of vast military
value to Germany or France; and |
france could not afford to stand bv
md let it be occupied by German |
:orces, with chance that the occu-
patton might become permanent.
SO a great war might have occurred
lad not the Deputies been wise
enough to yield in time.
Why they did not yield earlier is
ilfticult to understand. The general
strike was threatened more than a
real ago, in case manhood suffrage
vas rejected in revising the Consti-
ION. All shrewd observers agreed
hat the reform wcald have to be
'ranted soon. But Belgian property
'wners were afraid of manhood suf
rage, though experience shows that
property is much safer where all
men are voters than where MANY
i've under that sense of intolerable
wrong which comes of lacking rep
esentation.