Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-04-23
THINE In BELGIUM
POLITICAL DISTURBANCES Gull
INMATE IN OPEN RIOT.
Little Country in an Uproar Which
May Mark the Turning Point in the
General Evolution of the Universal
Suffrage Principle.

The spirit OF unrest has broken ont in
Brussels. The visit of a delegation Of
Spanish republican deputies was the sig
nal for demonstrations by the socialists.
When the Spaniards were ordered ont
of the eos=try Indignation took the form
Of riot at the railroad station as they
were leaving. and when King Leopold
happened by from Biarritz a forest of red
flags greeted him, and he barely escaped
q mobbing. Since then the little country
has been in an uproar that may not cul-
inmate without a serious clash between
the soldlery and the people. The labor
situation is ominous, while the cry for
universal suffrage has become mere and
more imperative.
Apparently Belgium is about to furnish
an interesting test of the extent to which
the idea of universal suffrage is making
Roadway in monarch,cal Europe.
After months Of violent political dis
turbances, occasionally leading TO open
riot. the Belgian government confronts a
serious crisis. The socialists, with the
support of the liberal party. are demand
ing a revision of the election laws and
the adoption of the zone man one vote"
principle. Ostensbly Belgium has uni
versal suffrage now. but the restrictions
as to voting are such that one man may
cast three ballots where another casts hut
one. A Belgian may vote once if he has
40 property, twice il he has a little real
estate or a certain sum in the bank and
three times il he has both property and
certain educational qualifications. In
this way about 100000 votes are cast
by total of only 100000 voters. 10
complicate matters still further, the Bel
gian parliament in 1899 adopted an in
tricate system of proportional represent
ation," which has the effect of perpetu-
ating the present party in power and pre-
venting coalitions among the socialists,
liberals and radicals.
A dispatch from La Louviere, town
in the Province of Hainaut, announces
that in accordG ice with the decision of
the labor leaders a general strike has
been begun in the coal mines, glass works
and factories of the central districts. in
GLIDING Mariemont and Bascoup.
Advices from Liege say that general
strike has been started in the coal mines
of the Seraing district, and at the Keith
foundries at Solessin. The quarrymen of
the Ambeve Valley also have struck
From Mons troops have started for diff
ferent points in the Borinage district. At
Cuesmes, town in the Province of Hal
maui, 5000 strikers assembled around
the state arsenal with the object of stop
ping work. The weavers of Client are
ceasing work, and general strike of the
weaving trade will be declared. The
great strike has begun at Charleroi,
where $4,000 of the 10000 coal miners
have stopped work.
A general strike has been declared in
most of the large boot and shoe factories.
Adequate measures have been taken to
enable the soldiers to reinforce the po-
lice at a moments notice at any point
required. As a similar strike ordered in
1899 very nearly put a stop to all indus
trial activity in Belgium, the threat is
serious. Behind it lies the still more Sc
rious menace of an actual revolt, for the
more hot-headed socialists are ripe for
action, and ffzis a question whether King
Leopold's conscript army would be loyal
to him as against the strikers.
Altogether the situation is typical of a
well-defned tendency in those States
wherein monarchical or aristOcratc forms
exist side by side with a strong popular
impulse toward absolute democracy. AS
the present crisis may marx a turning
point in the general evolution of the uni
versal suffrage principle. it will be well
worth watching