The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-10
VOTERS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES.
The United States at the Head of All
Nations in the Number of Electors


Twelve million voters participated in
the presidential election of 1892, and
1880. 600 voters, it is computed, will
take part in the presidential election
OF 1896. There will be one more state
voting this year than four years ago,
but during the intervening time restric-
tons upon the suffrage, greatly dimin-
ishing the electorate, have been estab-
lished in various southern states, par
ticularly South Carolina and Florida
The total number of male inhabitants
Of the United States of voting age, as
returned by the federal census of 1890,
was 16,940O00; but this total is subject
to a reduction of 100000 aliens, and
about as many more persons are de-
prived of suffrage by legal causes in
various states, and particularly consti-
tutional restrictions established by the
voters.
a very recent computation made Of
ficially of the electors of the United
kingdom gives as the total 6,416,000 out
OF a total population of 100000 Of
these voters $50, coo reside in Scotland
and $4,000 in Ireland. The United
States stands at the head of all nations
in respect of the mere number of elect
ors, though the changes of residence,
which are frequent here, but COMPARE
lively rare in Europe, keep the actual
number of voters far below the number
of those who are eligible. France, with
a total population very much below
that of the United States-about one
half the population Of this country
has 100000 electors. Germany has
10,600,000 electors, and the number is
increasing steadily as the restrictions
upon voting are decreased. In Austria
there has been a radical reform in the
electorate by its wholesale extension.
Up to a dozen years ago the total num-
Der of voters in Austria was 1,200, 900,
or less than the voting population of
the state of New York, though the to-
tai population of the Austrian empire
is 41,000,000. There is now pending in
the reichsrath at Vienna a bill pre-
sented by the president of the council
of ministers, Count Badendi, which
adds two members to the existing 353
deputies in the reichSrath. The present
number of electors in Austro- Hungary
is 100000. Of the numbers of the
reichsrath the great land owners elect
SO, the chambers of commerce 20, the
towns lie and the counties 129. The
total number Of possible electors who,
under the present system, are excluded
from the franchise in Austria is 21O,-
600.
Italy is peculiar among European
governments having representative in
stitutions in that while the actual
number of qualified electors is large,
the number participating is very small
In other words, d very large number
of Italian citizens qualified by law to
vote abstain from doing so, desiring
by this method to record their opposi-
ton to the course of the Italian gov
eminent in it's relation to the papacy
In 1892 3.006,G00 Italians were on the
registered rolls, of whom 1,600, 900 voted
about 5 per cent of the total popula-
ton of Italy. Belgium is a country
which, up to ten years ago, had less
than 100000 voters, but this number
has vastly increased by the introduce
ton Of universal suffrage, with, be-
sides, a provision for cumulative voting
whereby some citizens are enabled to
cast two ballots. In the confusion
which has resulted, the advocates of
universal suffrage have been out
voted.
In the United States there is one
voter to every four and half persons;
in Great Britain, one to every six per-
sons; in France, one to every three
and a half, and in Italy, one to every
ten persons. New York Sun.