Evening star., 1898-05-28
Not Much General Interest is Taken
in the Elections.
NO GREAT QUESTIONS ARE INVOLVED
Efforts That Are Used to Get Men
to the Polls.
RATHER A QUIET AFFAIR

Rc:ms Correspondence of the London Daily Mail
The town Is parti-colored. but calm.
The walls are placarded green and yellow.
blue and red Nothing is spared save the
cathedral. Even the statues which adorn
the city and their plinths are literally
decorated with the names of the candi-
dates. and with The insults which they
exchange during the campaign.
AS ycu walk through the streets the as
pect suggests that the battle is being
fought with the bitterest animosity. Here
NJ Mrman. the radical socialist, assures
You lin large letters) that he will permt
equivocation. that despite all contradic-
tion. he is still candidate; there NJ lie
Comte de Montebelo. prudentiy suppress
ing the title, reminds you that his op-
ponent is friend of C1emenceau. a client
of the late Baron 6e Reinach, and there
fore pledged not only TO corruption. but to
the revision of the inefable process. Moth
ing is omitted that might arouse the pas
sions of the electors. The journals declar-
ing. in the largest type, that today their
readers are summoned to exercise the su-
preme right Of citizenship. implore them to
go to the polls in their thousands. But
they decline to be aroused, and they trickle
to the Marie or the school house in their
twcs and threes. silent. Indifferent and un-
perturbed.
The slow. vacant Sunday wanes in the
afternoon. and the citizens who should be
mindful of 1882 walk in the Champs de
Mars or sit in their cafe interested in all
save the election. BY the baloting is
over. and after a delay of some hours for
they ma1aSe these things eXpeditiously in
France. the result is announced. Then for
moment one division of the town is gal
yaniZed into excitement.
Good Stage Management.
Flags are unfurled. professions form
ed. and NJ Mirman. being returned by more
votes than are polled by all his five oppo-
nents. is triumphantly carried from the
office of the ''Franc-ParIeur'' to his hotel.
a duly elected deputy. The mob shouts.
window is thrown open. and NJ. Mirman,
with a dining table and champagne bot
ties for background. appears the bal
Cony- Instantly a horny-handed working
man steps forward to present the Inevitable
bouquet, ard the new member, in vi
brant voice" explains that the triumph is
not his. but the republics and that the
victory belongs to the honest workers of
Reims. The little scene is admirably stage
managed. and as the curtained windows
are closed. You feel that the hotel with its
picturesque sign, La Plume au Vent, is for
the moment a center of enthusiasm. Mean
while in another corner of the town, under
the shadow of the cathedral fresh results
are flashed upon a phosphorescent slate.
But the crowd receives them with apathy,
and is never dense enough TO impede the
passing tram.
Indeed a French election may best be de-
scribed by negatives. There car
poll, there is no procession of exultant can
dGates, there is no beer, there is no armed
discussion at the street corner. Only
binding mass of crude placards and the
rancOur OF the daily press.
No Real Interest.
The ruth is that few are sincerely
Interested. save the candidates and they
are professional pcliti i:itns. who assail each
other with the most scurrilcus abuse be-
cause scTrrility is the nsbit of their class.
But the scurrtlity is easily explained. In
France there are no properly defined par
ties; the lawyers, doctors and journalists
VINO appeal for votes represent neither men
nor measures; they stand merely for them
selves. fney may call themselves repub-
Hcdn socialists. or republican radicals.
sven plain republicans, but they have no
ambition of reforming the law or of chang
ing the government. They are therefore
driven back upon personal criticism, and
instead of discussing the future of the state
always barren theme-they beabor
their opponents with the lusty slaves of
satire and abuse. To imDcate a rival In
the ancient scandal of Par still appears
the strongest OF arguments, and sound
politician will demand the support of his
fellows for no better reason than that
somebody else has bean seen to converse
with a notorious jew or passed suspected
check through his bank ten long years ago.
Engaging Candor.
In all the many placards which at the
present moment cover the face of France
there is scarce hint of political doctrine
or proposed reform A few well wishers''
are anxious to point out that this candidate
was once connected with disreputable
journal. or that another candidate sits upon
d greedy board of direction. and nothing
can be more ironic than the perpetual con-
irast between the violence of the press and
the calm nonchalance OF the contented citi-
zens- None the less one cannot but APP
plaud the engaging candor OF the combat
conclusive
prevailing good humor that insults are ex-
changed without rancor and paid for in
u common currency.
But while the Candidates are merrily as
sailed the citizens abstain from voting.
They excuse their apathy various
grounds: this man declares that politics do
not interest him. that other that he cannot
touch pitch and remain undefiled And il
Is not only the -resDectable' classes who
decline TO exercise their privilege. At
Reirns. for instance. VI. Mirman does not
represent The wealthiest division of the
town, yet more than 300 voters of his
cirSumscription remained silent. OF course
there is no reason why every man should
concern himself with what NJ only partial
ly understands. and the French happily
Tor them. have a thousand interests which
are wholly unconTected with politics Be
sides. where all the parties are so closely
merged In one that the views of all might
De covered by a single sheet of paper
where. moreover. six candidates frequently
stand for one seat. enthusiasm is tiifficul;
and indifference justified. II not meritorious
To Enforce Voting.
None the less The republic is strangely
perturbed at the rejection of the privilege
which it has conferred upon all its citizens
withou, fear or favor. Many schemes have
been devised to compel the reluctant ones
to come in and vote. AS Mr. BodIey has
pointed out In his interesting book upon
France. penalties have been proposed and
fires suggested: while In the last report
the unrepcntant citizen has been threatened
that II he will not vote when he Is asked
10 vote the unesteemed privilege shall be
taken away from Elm now and forever
But II ~ not matter of serious import
the chamber gets itself elected and even II
IL does not represent the nations finest in
telligence. II contrives to transact the ma
tion's business For the rest no more need
be said than that while the Brton is
voting animal. the Frenchman (or 2J per
cent of him) is not And maybe the French
man has chosen the better part.
Missed the Pageantry.
Yet il is curious that the French with
n hafr of