New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-05-18
THE FRENCH ELECTIONS
Some SideEghts on the Methods of
Procedure and Results.
Paris, May s.

do let's see how they vote IN Erance?" was
the query put to me by some friends recently ar
rived from New York. It Sunday morning
Nay G. the day fixed for the general elections OF
,be members Of the Chamber OF Deputies. which.
axoept in the case of dissolution, take place in
France every four years A fortnight later Sum
dsv. May 90 there will be second ballots for the
candidates who have not obtained more than
half of the total number of votes cast in their
resnective districts. 1t was beautiful spring
asx and sightseeing began with drive in an
onen cab through the principal streets Of the
capital What most impressed those accustomed
- American elections was the presence Of SOL
,,,ers bivouacked for the day, with rations and
stacked arms, at all strategical points, such
=. che onera- the Place de la BastiIe the
olaoa de Ia Concorde and the Place de la
pknnblioue II is estimated that Paris was oc-
.,,,nied bx civ thousand troops while the cleo
eions were going on. The second feature OF IN
ierest was the picturesqueness OF the multl-col-
ored political posters that for height OF three
wards completely cover all the public buildings
White beiug reserved in France exclusively for
ohiciaI government notices, the candidates Sc
lect various shades of red, yellow. olue' green
orange or violet that seems best adapted TO their
,olit.caI convictions It was astonishing to OBJ
serve the rapidity with which the electloneer1ng
posters succeeded one another. Not only on Sum
siors and debates between rival candidates were
carrs,ss on by means Of street posters which
often contain as many as six hundred words IN
large type. For the time being. the whole city
has changed color owing to the onslaught OF
the billstickers Walls Of the hospitals, theatres
and even the churches are transformed into
flaming electioneering polemics. frantic appeals
and scathing denunciations.
The modest but Iugubrious little Morgue has
almost disappeared, so deeply and thickly has 1t
been covered with red blue AMI green posters.
AS our little group of New Workers stood looking
al the Morgue in its carnival attire fresh gang
Of hi!Istickers approached. and in twinkling Of
an eye transformed the building into bright
scarlet by pasting all over it the declarations
and promises OF a socialist candidate. Else
where. in many instances. before the paste is
dry on the first poster a second billsticker comes
along draws papers of another color from his
leather pouch and sticks them neatly and firmly
over the first, completely obliterating every let
ter in the name of the hated rival and covering
insidious promises with ferocious onslaughts
upon his public character. After short drive in
another direction our little party passed by the
Morgue and found that it had again changed
oolor-this time to a vivid green, vibrating with
the political catechism of the candidate of pro-
gressive republicanism. In some instances bill
stickers themselves lose their tempers and free
fights ensue. when imprudent bystanders are
often drenched with bucketfus Of paste. Post
in the quarter of the Central Market. or
Halles Centrales, denounced a competing con-
sentative candidate as "a vile crab that crawls
backward In the 9Th ACCOMPLISHMENT, or ward
NJ Flourens the outgoing Deputy. was de-
scribed as "a filthy burglar (cambrioleur NAL
proDre and all his actions for the last FIVE years
were held up for public opprobium. A poster in
the 18th Ward. in delicate lavender colors. and
bordered with elaborate designs Of wreaths Of
May flowers and cyclamen, bears the name Of
The Women Of Paris" The women waste no
time in abusing other candidates or their pro-
gramHes: they content themselves with making
kno%n their own. The first item is naturally
woman's suffrage, but the demands of the sex
ana their intentions cover great deal of ground
as viii be gathered from the items culled at hap
hazard Of mixed juries, ACCOMPLISHMENT homes for
unmarried women. the completion of bridges and
canals. increased taxation on empty houses. etc
PUBIC enjoyment of this poster was enhanced by
NE TACT that the women themselves put 1t up.
besides the posters, candidates make use of a
Nsst quantity Of electioneering literature dis
t1Duted from house to house. In some wards it
may be said to rain leaflets and pamphlets. and
some OF them are delightful reading Socialist
candidates are undertaking to uphold the sal
aried worker against the idle capitalists in the
Of the Church party. who in tho present
elections only struggle between Church and
state, have made a reissue Of a pamphlet pub
ished originally some few years ago. which pur-
ports to be a kind of handbook for the use of
parliamentary candidates. This little work after
explaining that the candidate must adapt his
manner and matter TO the audience he is for the
nonoe addressing. goes on to give heads for
dlscourses- For meeting of the laboring classes
ie
church alone can face without fear modern
democracy, which is like an unbroken colt See
ing the success of the Church in dealing with
savages, what may it not accomplish when deal
ing with Christian workmen?' Then the pam
phiet goes on to say: Prior to 1871 Che date
Of the French Revolution). in spite Of some lam
entable and more less notable defections
Jesus Christ was French citizen, but the Jew
was not Since 1871, Jesus Christ can no longer
be counted French citizen. but on the other
hand, the Jew has taken Ills place" In the
elections of 1902 the Jew peril" was the loud
est clectioneering cry. for feeling still ran high
over the Dreyfus case. To-day the Catholic and
Liberal Opposition attack with equal FIRE and
fury the Free Mason peril" and abuse Of the
Masonic Bloc" alternates with alarmist de-
hunciation of the anarchical tendencies of GER
tam members Of the actual government.
me political meeting is the third and last
Eoofce OF the organized siege laid by candidates
10 lhe electors. All kinds of fantastic promises
are MADE o.. the hastings. There is the candi-
date who deplores the depopulation Of the coun-
try and whose programme will be found TO be the
only one calculated 10 combat the evil; the can
cidate with special bias for postnen. whose