The Portland daily press., 1896-05-23
SOCIALISM IN BELGIUM.
Its Rapid Growth and Great Strength.
Indifference Co Royalty.
Especial Correspondence

not begin to realize its strength. Who
among you can conceive that in France
the Socialist party has over 80 delegates in
the national assembly, in Germany 46, and
that in the latter country at the last gen
eral elections its numerical strength ex-
seeded that of any other party by almost
1000, 600 votes? Yet though Germany is
thus advanced her kindred state of Hol-
land, while somewhat agitated, gives to
the government no serious cause of alarm,
and to many it seems that in this condition
lies the papty's most formidable clement of
strength.
In Belgium young man does not attain
his majority till 25 years of age Though
the opinion might be held that the ad-
vanced ideas which the students undoubt-
eddy hold and outwardly profess on leav-
ing the universities would be modified, if
not completely uprooted, by the refeotion
of the three or four years which must
elapse before a voice in the government is
granted them, this has proved not to be
the case. To the poorer and consequently
the greater number of these men a career
of teaching of necessity presents itself as
the life work for which they are most fit
ted, and they frequently become privat
docents, or, as they are there termed, re-
petiteurs in the athen8ums or other schools
controlled by the government think it
will not be denied that the position of
teacher on salary of 5000 or $500 year
would most effectively tend to dispel the
illusions Of youth, yet their political views
do not change. These we'll educated, think
ing young men go unconcernedly to the
polls and vote the labor ticket. If it is
headed by a miner or factory hand, so
| much the better. The more complete is tile
expression of the idea to which they are
devoted.
In the two Flanders, on the contrary,
| though socialism is largely advocated, as
yet it has not obtained the full recognition
| that 1t has met with elsewhere If the
character and the different conditions of
the two races are considered, this is not
surprising.
Throughout the kingdom to me the
| most surprising feature is the Indifference
to royalty. King Leopold II, lame old
man with gray beard, passes unheralded
| through the streets. No hat is DOTTED at
his coming, and no cry Of "Vive lie roip
| is raised. IL I mention this fact with as
| constituent, the unaffected Belgian will
| probably SMILE shrug his shoulders and
\
board king"). By that title he is known.
and indeed the appellation is strikingly
fit. He is but figurehead and not even
revered one.
| Never has the Socialist party SO COM
| pletely demonstrated its hold on the people
| of Belgium as in the spring of 1893 It
was then that the question of universal
suffrage, SO long agitated, was finally con-
sidered. Until then the great body of the
working class, unless possessed of certain
amount of property, had been debarred
from its exercise. The spirit of the house
of representatives was adverse to the ac-
cordanoe of this long demanded right.
The Clericals or Conservatives, were in
strong majority in both houses. A bill
providing universal suffrage pure and
simple introduced by NJ. Jannsens, then
the leader of the Radical party, was
promptly voted down. AS promptly the
Socialist leaders issued their fat-avery
momber OF trade union, and consequently
an enrolled member of the party, must
join in general strike to bring pressure
on the government. Not a dissenting
voice was heard. On the following Mon
day every factory was idle, every coal mine
shut down. A member of the Right, IL
Nansens, then introduced a compromise
bill granting the suffrage to every Belgian
over 90 years of age, with a plural vote
resting on proprietary or educational quail
ifcations. This the Socialists, and conse-
quently the people, accepted. But the leg
islature still delayed. An angry mob of
10000 people daily surrounded the legisla-
tive building, and throughout the country
endless professions of determined men
bearing red banners and placards of "Vive
la revolution!' filed through the streets
The outlook became ominous. The cham
Der Of deputies bowed perforce to the will
Of the people, and, amid the triumphant
shouts OF the exultant populace, the Nan
sens bill was passed. So ended perhaps
the first political strike on record. 1t had
been successful.
The general elections under the new law
were to take place in June, but decree
postponed them to October. The parties to
propose candidates for these elections were
four-the Clericals, whose chief aim is op-
position to all progress or reform; the Lib
erals, with no particular end in view save
opposition to the Clericals; the Progress
istes, made up of younger men who had
revolted from the Liberals, and the Social
lists. Only three tickets were in the field
however, for a coalition was effected be-
presented to the country Radico- Socialist
platform. The result Of these elections was
complex. One thing was certain-there
were no longer any Liberals The inter
mediate party had been completely ami
hilated.
Nothing perhaps more thoroughly points
out the inherent differences of the French
and Dutch te1nperaments than the unequal
strides made by the same party in Bel
GUM. In the provinces of Liege, Hainaut
and Brabant-in the last of these Brussels,
the capital, is situate-where the Gallo
element is largely predominant, the social
ist idea is essentially that of the people.
The working classes almost to man are
avowed advocates of its principles but not
among them alone does it number its sup
porters. The universities are veritabIe hot
beds of socialism.
And now word of the king. He is a
man past so and has ruled the Belgians
for many years, yet his political opinions
are unknown. though speculation is rife
concerning them. 1t has been persistently
rumored that deposited in the govern
mental archives there rests sealed letter,