The Irish standard., 1906-02-24
ITS PART
''The Barrel" as . Factor in
British Elections.
Counts For as Much There as
1t Does in America.

the 9Th inst, the general elections,
Just closed, have cost officially some-
thing like $5,ooo.ooo, although the cost
actually will be at least thrice that
sum. One authority who has had
great experience Of political fights be-
hind the scenes places it at $4,000, 900.
From this 1t will be inferred that the
admission fee to 1.-The finest club in
the world" as the House of Commons
has been called. amounts to a stiffish
sum, and other things being equal,
the man with the longest purse stands
the best chance of getting in. The
ban" counts here for quite as much
as it does in America.
The official estimate is based on the
rigid restrictions placed by the COR
rupt practices act on the amount of
money candidates may expend to get
elected. Under that measure, which
was passed in 1883, in borough cleo.
tons in Great Britain, where the
number of electors does not exceed
1000, the maximum amount which a
candidate may expend is limited to
$l,75O, and in county constituencies of
similar strength it must not exceed
$4,000. For each additional 1000 cleo
tors an extra allowance is made of
$150 ana $500 respectively for bor-
rOughs and counties
The limits of legitimate expenditure
are defined on a more liberal scale
in country than in town districts, for
the reason that the voters are much
more scattered and it necessarily costs
candidates more to bring their per-
suasive oratory to bear on the bucolic
intelligence.
Irish elections are run on cheaper
scale of legitimate expenditure, which
must be exceedingly welcome to the
candidates who are seldom men of
means. In boroughs where the num-
Der of electors does not exceed 500 a
man may get into parliament for
$1,000. Where the number runs to
1880 he must spend more than 1885.
In counties of 1000 electors his ex-
penidtures are limited to $25,0n0.-
All parliamentary candidates have
to file sworn statements of what they
have expended in the fight. In the
general election of 1892 the official
returns showed an average outlay by
each candidate of $500 in the case
of a county and about $4,000 in the
case of borough constituency.
While placing strict limits on the
amounts that candidates may ex-
pend OH elections, the corrupt prac-
tees act is equally stringent in con-
filming that expenditure within legiti-
mate channels. Treating in all forms
Is barred. Six cents was held to be
too small sum to charge for re-
freshments at conversazoine given
by one candidate. Music to soothe the
savage elector is illegal if provided
at the candidates expense, but there
are no restrictions on gratuitous sing
ing and playing.
Two Irish judges have declared that
a minister Of religion must not hold
out hopes of reward here or here
after" as an inducement to vote for
any particular candidate Candidates
are prohibited from hiring vehicles of
any sort to convey voters to the polls,
but they are at perfect liberty to place
their own motor cars, carriages and
horses, or those of their friends at the
disposal of their constituents for the
purpose.
Candidates are held responsible for
all the acts of their agents. Jesse
Ceilings was once unseated after being
returned as member for Ipswich merely
because one of his agents had prom
ised to pay the sum of 3s 6d-about so
cents-for defraying the cost of the
railroad ticket to Ipswich of single
voter who was temporarily absent
from the polls. The agent did not re-
deem the promise, for. he discovered
that he had done wrong in making the
offer, but nevertheless the supreme
court judge before whom the case was
brought deemed the circumstance sufR-
GENTLY heinous to deprive Mr.. Ceilings
of his seat, although the vote in uues-