The Irish standard., 1894-02-17
POLITICS in pOMPEII.
How Municipal Elections Were
Managed Before the Eruption.

!, How Municipal Elections Were
/ Managed Before the Eruption.
The Ward System and Primaries We're
the Same rs Those OF Our Modern
Cities = Ballot-Box stuf1ng
Known to the Ancients.
The Pompeiians were in the midst
of hot political campaign when the
city was destroyed by lava and ashes,
A. D. ~. DR.. James G. yelling. presi-
dent of the Columbian university at
| Washington, has been studying the
features of this ancient election, as
! they are recorded upon the walls and
billboards which in those days took
! the place of newspapers. In q very in
! teresting lecture before the Antbropo-
| logical society. he gives description
of ward politics in Pompeii more than
eighteen hundred years ago. 1t sounds
! astonishinglv like the story of modern
elections, with ward-meetings, primar-
les and appeals for candidates. The
| city seems to have had a thoroughly
equipped political machine Polit-
! ical clubs were numerous. Some OF
them were evidently composed Of the
boys;" the Little Thieves, for instance,
! the Late Topers and the Sleepy Heads.
Municipal elections were held once a
year. and any citizen was at liberty to
| run for office. His intention to do SO
| was made known by his friends post
| ing his name on the billboards and
| walls about the city. One Titus &C.
| marius, baker, who had shop on a
corner with a side wall running back
along an alley. made handsome
thing" by renting it for bulletin
boards.
After candidates name had been
posted for some time. he could tell
pretty well whether he stood any
chance of winning If he saw that he
did not, he went to the chief select1nan
and asked to have his name withdrawn;
but if he thought his chances pretty
good, his name was put on the white
list after which there was no back
| ing out.
The system of wards and primary
elections was practically the same as
that followed in New York to-day.
The electors chosen at the primaries
| met at the Forum Oh election day to
deposit their ballots. aud fell into line
| as men do at the polls now. There were
three judges of election, and each can
| dida1e was permitted to station one of
his own men at the ballot box, to see
| that no intimidation was practised.
The ballot box was very closely
watched, fact which seems to show
that ballot box stut7ing was not un-
carried a majority Of the wards was
elected 1t will be seen that this gave
the machine a fine opportunity for
gerrymander.
The Pompeiians ''whooped it up for
their candidates in the true modern
style. Thus the Late Iopers, who had
their headquarters opposite the forum,
announced their preferences on bill
board as follows: 1.-THE Late Topers beg
their friends to vote for Marcus
Lavinius Vatia for Bdile."
Vatia, who was d favorite in sport
ing circles. evidently had some money
to spend in the legitimate expenses of
his campaign, for all his notices and
announcements are we'll got up. His
rival, Popidius, either did not look
after his campaign, or else had no
money to employ competent bill
poster, for his notices are misspelled,
and in all respects unequal to Vatia's.
Thebus, 8 tavernkeeper on the Via
Storta, wanted c. Gavins Ruass and NJ.
Hoiconius Priscus elected duumvirs.
They had probably promised to get his
taxes lowered, or that the police should
let his place alone. Therefore Thebus
had all the walls in his neighborhood
decorated with ''Thebus and his Gus
toners nominate G. Gavins Rufus and
M. Holconius Priscus for duumvirs."
The electors did not mind stirring up
candidates who expected their friends
to do all the work for them. One In
scription reads: 20 Eubonius, keep
your eyes open!'' And Infans is prod
ded as follows: 20 Infans, you are fast
asleep, and yet you say you are cleo
tioneering!"
There was a tavern in the first ward
where a primary was probably held.
At any rate large crowd had assem-
bled. and the landlord very obligingly
provided seats For this he was re-
warded by an inscription on the wall.
The sentiment was better than the
grammar:
20, landlord, you did great to get us
them chairs!''
Upluckily, Or. yelling could find
no record of how this election turned
out. Probably the Esd and Oath of Au-
gust came before election day arrived.
TUE y,DD,sH DIALECT.