New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-20

eed from the platform for fear OF being ih'i'"
even losing our lives When we stopper " az" ~"
breath my friend said sorrowfuliy' poln''us
statue What commentary on
birthday and this work. ,.,,,
Rut even II the dangerous bureau stage 10 '
passed, the organizers of french pon'''' ,n,,er
ing are far from being out OF the woous -, a..
most prolific source of trouble anu CUM a.
granting ones opponents an equal opp. ,oads
he heard 1t Is easy to imagine what 'n'' 80 90,
20 Rut oven the most vivid Imagination CANINE
ric,ure the scenes that often occur al these
unions contradictores," as they are ap''y
; The nyariabe absence Of the ponce anu WV
tempt on the part Of self-appointed ci''%e''' "
citizens attire 10 keep order ada 10 the PAM
monium that generally prevails. More thah one
oII lroun nubc man has come away from THESE
free aghts with black eye or a bleeding iiose.
II was on an occasion OF this kind, AFTER ne 'ia'
tried in vain to make himself heard. that Gamoe''a
shouted You drunken blackguards, ana ,he" s
tired from the platform. Nor did the BeheVi'ie I'M
raft ever forgive their whilom idol TINS sortie'
During the early years OF the Third Repupiic
Erencb noItical meetings were relatively cai'i'
though even then they were pear sarueh' W."
compared with own AFTER the usual 'u
over the election of the officers, the speakers gen
orally managed to get hearing But 'o-uis'
saws nv friend Naquet IAN execrable habit seems
20 bove grown ny among all parties: bands OF
vounp men disturb Systematically the meetings
of their opponents and drown the voices OF the
speakers until things have come to such pass
that some semblance Of order can De op'aneu
only through the efforts OF organlzeu iie"'S
Of the candidate The maintenance OF TINS tenn
porary police force increases cohsideraoy '''e
expenses attending an election
nIsTRusT OF THE Police.
/ It may be pertinently asked why 1t Is that the
regular police force Is not admitted 10 poi''"a'
meetings in France It is due chiefly TO an oiu
/ no
Of the thirty-slx thousand communes were APP
pointed by the Central Government, ana had uhuei
their authority the police Of the country AZ
all political gatherings an officer was present
10 prevent any attack by the speakers on ''e
| Government. The Republicans of that day tnefe
fore looked upon the police as their enefNleS'
and this feeling continues to-day, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
the fact that now. with the sole exception VI
Paris the mayors Of France are CHOSEN by t"e
municipal councils from among the members ol
those bodies But at the capital the agent-ah
unfortunate appellation. which terds to Keep aiVe
this nistr1st-is still under the direct control OF
the Minister OF the Interior. and good Repuoiicahs
will have none of them. Hence a pubic meeting
Is completely at the mercy OF the MOD anu the
police. who hang about the doors in the street
Interfere only when life is in danger ana theh
clear out the hall with ruthless hand. Thus TINS
overstranlng for free speech generally eventuates
in free fight.
! The lack of party organization produces at least
one mschievous result. The burden of election ex-
penses which are the increase in France fails
/ entirely on the candidates. Unless some remedy
/ is found for this of things" prominent
Deputy has remarked lit will hand over the Cham-
Der OF Deputies plutocracy. In some cases
the evil is removed by the political parties getting
/ together campaign funds This Is done only IN
great emergencies however There Is but one
/ permanent supply which can be perverted 10 TINS
use and then 1t is alone the supporters OF the
/ Government who can be benefited by IT, reter 10
the secret service funds in the hands OF the Min
ister Of the Interior Louis XIV declared that he
| was the State To-day it may be said with al
most equal truth that the Cabinet Is the State.
/ This is especially so in home affairs, ana parucu-
larry so Of the Minister OF the Interior VINO prop
ably exercises greater power within the pouh-
dares OF France than does the President or the
United States throughout the Union. In Paris the
whole notice force as we have just seen, Is at MS
! heck and his colleagues OF the War and Navy
| departments always stand ready TO ald MN III an
emergency. Nor. when necessary, does THIS Hoo-
ern Great Eecor hesitate TO use. and to use Freely
these tremendous powers At the end OF hotiy
| contested campaign 1t has happened more 'hah
| One. that a Project has been dismissed because ne
! failed 10 carry the election" II Boulanger ana
| Rouangism crushed at the nick oil ume' II
was because NJ Constans was armed with powers
which enabled him to strike quickly ana Hio'''hy
In "A word the French Minister OF the Interior Is
and National bosses sink into utter nsgniiicance'
HONEST ELECTIONS ARE THE RULE.
7 do not think there is so much political corrup-
,ion in French elections as in those or America
There are several good reasons why THIS shouin
be so The stakes not so great IN n contest III
the former country. only the Chamber or Depu-
ties is chosen by universal suffrage. The Senate Is
] named by special colleges. and the President OF
France by n Congress made up by the two houses
Of Parliament And In the of a ChamRer elec-
ton such is I'm progress. popular interest," i
divided among more than 600 separate districts and
probably triple that number OF candidates. 'here
being no party organization. no funds. almost no
n,turo ton most of the causes OF corrupt prac-
,ices and fraudulent voting wanting. Certain
snecial features of the French election law also
initiate against these evils. The two safeguards
are the poll list and the electora! card. In oruer
! 10 have your name put on the poll list you must
prove beyond doubt your identity and your MAORI
w. Here deception is difficult almost Impossible OH
account of the perfect etat civil methods which pre-
vail in France The French poll list is therefore
much rnore effectual check than our register and
rur,bernorc il prevails in country districts as well
as in the cities Every voter in France must De OH
some poll list before he may cast his ballot
But this carefully drawn up poll list is not the
only preventive of fraudulent voting Every
man. as he steps up to the ballotboX. must produce
/ his electoral card" on which are inscribed his
fun name profession and residence. rms caro- Is
issued by the Mayor OF the town where the voter
lives after the latter has established. as just men
toned his identity and majority. Each card Is
numbered. and when presented at the polls one OF
the Judges of election takes it and calls Off the num-
Der and name while two other judges, with the
official poll list before them. repeat aloud the num-
/ Der and name and check them OF on the register
Then and not till then, the first Judge accepts the
ballot from the and drops 1t into the box ana
before handing back the card he tears on cor
ner of IT, which renders il useless for further voting
that day These bits of card are strung on wire
and counted at the close of the polls in order To see
~ thev tally with the number OF ballots found in
| the box IL sometimes happens, however. that
repeating Is practised by the aid of this very
lnr where neonlp n