New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-22
THE WORLDS GREATEST ELECTORATE.

An impressive phase of the greatness Of the
United States is suggested by The Daily 1ele-
graph" of London, when it speaks Of Mr.. Nc
kinley's victory upon the unparalleled plchis-
cite of fifteen million votes" The exact re-
$urns of the popular vote in the late election
have not yet been made. Four years ago, how
ever, about 100000 ballots We're cast, and
it is quite possible that this years poll eX-
ceeded rather than fell short of the imposing
round numbers mentioned by 1.-The Telegraph"
In that case, and indeed even on the basis Of
four years ago. this was by far the greatest
plebiScite ever taken in any nation, and the
voters of the United States compose the most
numerous electorate in the world.
The word -"'plebiscite'' recalls the various pop-
ular votes of France in the days of Louis Ma
poleOn. Those were at the time the largest
that had been cast. That of 1913, by which
Napoleon was first chosen President, comprised
more than 100000 votes, or less than half the
number cast here this month. That of 1851
by which he was made President for ten years
comprised nearly S,115,OOO votes The first So
called plebscite, by which popular sanction was
ostensbly obtained to his assumption of the
imperial dignity, in 1852, brought out more
than $4,000 votes. and the second and last
In 1870 by which popular approval Of the re-
YiSed constitution was secured, increased the
number to more than 100000. That was the
highwater mark of the French electorate for
while at the present time there are about TO-
100000 inscribed electors only about 7. 800 600
are brought out at a general election The
French electorate is, then. half the size of ours
which is proper, seeing that the population of
France is scarcely more than half that of the
United States.
II from France we turn to the United KING
dom. where almost universal suffrage prevails
we find still more marked inferiority to the
American electorate. There were in 1898 only
a few more than 100000 registered electors
The number voting this year on that registry
is not yet precisely known, but ii cannot he
much, If any. larger than that in 1885 when
fewer than 3.S59,o00 votes were cast. In 1898
the total population of the United Kingdom
was trile more than 100000. Only abou+
one-sixth of the population, therefore wara
qualified voters, and scarcely more than ono
tenth actually voted; while In the United States
the number Of actual voters is about one-fftb
OF the whole population. In GERMANY also
universal suffrage prevails, and the poDulation
or the Empire is much nearer to that Of tho
United States than is that of the United King
dom or of France In 1890 when tho to+oI
population was 495OO0OO the number of in.
scribed electors was more than 10 62S GOO or n
little more than 81 per cent of the whole and
at the elections of 1893 the number of ac+no1
voters was more than 1902 900. or mora +bop
IS per cent of the whole.
The United States has. then an electorate
four times as numerous as that of the I-njted
hlnguoh' and OF course, two or three times
as large as that Of the eptire self-governing
British Empire throughout the world T. g.
also about as large the celebrates of France
ana Germany put together. It's suffrage NAV
well be called an unparalleled plebiscite." and
the United States may still easily rank rs NV
1ar the greatest example of popular governments
the world contains ever has contained