New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-06

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have refused TO contribute until he resumes inc
direction, taking the ground that Sir william
| IIarcourt as the author OF those so-caiieo
| Death Duties which weigh so heavily Oh ai'
the rich is a dangerous man to follow. MS iean-
ings being manfestly in the direction OF Socia
ism and of hostility to property and CAPITA"
"PICKwICK" ELECTIONS MERE MEMORIES.
| II is hardly necessary to point out that 'he
elections as now carried in England nave
| nothing whatsoever in common with those so
graphically described by Charles Dickens IN MS
! immortal "Pickwick Papers" The savage
brawls the rotten apples, the cabbage stalks
the carcasses Of defunct cats and dogs as wen
as ancestral eggs. which were formerly among
the most picturesque features of English farha-
mentary elections, are for the most part merely
memories. Elections are no longer cohducVcu
On the hustngs, where the candidates appeareu
and presented themselves to the electors !"
fact hastings have been abolished, ana insteau
Of the former public registration OF votes al one
single polling place, to which the OIL druhheh
voters were brought in carriages at the expense
of the candidate. being mobbed on the way the
voting is now no longer verbal and pubic put
! in writing and secret, while the polling piaces
have been multiplied. From this II Will pe see"
that the elections in England are much "he
those in this country. There Is, however one
difference that in all cases where 'here
are charges Of unfair dealing. OF bribery
or where there is any dispute with regard to the
returns il is the Supreme Court, and not rar-
lament. to which is intrusted the duty OF IN
o,,;,,, and decision. This measure is peculiarly
eGcacious For it has served TO invalidate sew
oral doubtful elections which might have es-
caned inst annulment through the camaraoerie
or the Indifference of the House of Commons
ODDITIES OF ELECTION LAWS
II IS a curious fact that while there are many
standard publications on the procedure Oh '"e
House Of Commons and on various ques'io"' y.
Iatinc 70 the franchise there is not single WORK
in existence which contains an account Vi '"e
c,,rioue LEGISLATION relating to electoral bribery
In order to obtain any succinct notion oi 'h''
part Of British Jurisprudence it is necessary not
only TO examine the statutes bearing on TIE
subject. many Of them consisting Ct fifty pages
Of printed matter apiece enacted IN the years
1920 1s41 1852 1854 1855. 1863, 1865, 1870
1872 1883 1854 and 1885 but also to wade
through the dreary pages OF "Hansard's Parlia-
rnentary Debates" with view OF discovering
among the mass Of verbosty contained therein
some plean of light which may enable the mere
vuIaar mortal to fathom the dark depths OF
british legal phraseoloey. For in England all
the reforms that have taken place in this as IN
other matters have been done, so to speak 10y
adding and grating TO the existing laws IN
stead of uprooting the latter and creating an
entirely new system. 1t is on this account that
i, is so necessary in England in order to under
stand matters to study not only the present.
but also what has gone before and led up TO it,
Among the many oddities Of the English cleo
ton laws which will appear strange to Amerl-
cans are those which prohibit the candidate
! from having for the Of carriages or horses
and from defraying the railroad expenses
for the conveyance of electors to the polls. He
is. however. at perfect liberty to place his own
carriages and horses those Of his friends, at
the disposal Of his constituents for the purpose.
or course. this regulation is absolutely opposed
to all democratic notions For, whereas the rich
/ candidate and his friends place any num-
Der Of their private carriages at the disposal OF
tho electors. many Of whom relish the priv
ilcgo Of driving for once in gorgeous state
| equipagcs the poor candidate Is dcbarred from
making use Of or hiring any public conveyance
for the transportation Of his voters to the polls
| A curious exception is. however made in favor
Of both in localities such as, for instance on the
! seacoast or the banks Of rivers. where the
! electors have to cross the water in order 10
reach the polling places In cases such as these
the candidate is allowed to pay for the Of
a boat
Then too any person who "ohcr himself or
by proxy. either before, during or after the
or pays for either wholly in part, any meat