The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-04-11
MINORITY PARTY IN POWER
CleriCaIs Have Fortified Position
by Plural Voting System
WORKING CLASS WANTS CHANGE

Brussels, Aprn 1l,--Belgium seems
to be on the eve of one of the great
est political uphcavals in it's histor,
and IL Is difficult to rorcscc the final
outcome. The general strike, ordered
Dy the rational commission ON uni
'crsal suffrage, and endorsed by the
| Socialist congress, is To- begin next
Monday ANA the government has tax
eu the most extensive precautions To-
prevent revolutionary outbreaks and
| local disturbances. Generally speak
| ing the impending strike may be con-
sldered IN act intended as IN expires
sion OF protest by the lower working
classes against the refusal of the GOV
| crument to grant a revision of tho
constitution as demanded by tho sub
merged ciasscs.
The strike was to begin some time
ago, but was postponed to allow time
for another and final appeal to the
| Government for the granting of GER
| tain reforms. including the introduc-
| tiou OF universal suffrage. the abol-
| tion OF the plural system of voting
anG certliI changes in the educational
laws of the country. Tho government
which is controlled by the clcricals
refused TO entertain the propositions
and as a last resort the general stril;"
was ordered
BASIS OF tho Trouble.
Although upon it's surface the pres
ent trouble is of q political nature,
the underlying causes are really the
racial, linguistic and religious differ
cnces between the Walluuus ana the
! llcmngS, which constitute the two
most important component parts of
| Belgiums population. The revolution
early In the last century which freed
| belgium from the Dutch control was
| effected chiefly by the WallUUns a
| French speaking race and the control
of he government remained i'm their
| hands down to 1854. For the iifty
Years preceding the FlemugS had been
working TO prevent the extinction ot
! chcir language. which i$ virtual,
Identified with low Dutch The move
mcnt which was at first literary. soon
assumed "a political aspect. The ilem-
ings, being Catholics enlisted the
| support of the ClcriCals and at the
election of 1881 they succeeded III ob-
tanning control of the government.
They have been in power ever since.
| Tie Flemish of clerical party, fully
realizing it's numerical weakness, for
tilted it's position and sought To per-
pctuatc It's power by the plural sys-
tenn of voting, which alouc has been
able to maintain them i'm control. Ur-
der this system fatherhoud aud GER
tain property and educational qualR
cations eutitle a voter to two or even
three votes at all elections. This sys-
ten has been extremely obnoxious to
the enormous mass of poor and uned-
ucatcd workiugmcn, but all efforts to
bring about a change of the system
failed.
Opprosscd Majority Prepare.
II was on June I. 1872, that the dis
satisfaction which had been steadily
growing for years among Belgium j
Iunfairlv represented lower classes
burst into the open. following the
ELECTIONS which retained in power the
clericals. The government feared q
revolutionary outbreak and as a mat
ter of prccaution mobilized the army
land police force and called in the rs-
serves. Armed forces were rushed to
Ian the centers of excitement auj
BRUSSELS was practically in a state OF
siege. There was a great ferment III
the big coal mining district known as
he Roringe, of which Mons is the CEN
ter The miners wanted to strike Ell
lmasse and only with difficulty were
they persuaded to abandon that plan
Since then the fight was continued
by the working classes and everything
lprcpared with "a decisive coup The
liberals Joined hands with the Social
lists and Incorporated a demand FOL
universal suffrage and the abolition oi
the plural system of voting upon theil
platform. The agitation was carried
on with great energy and II is bcliev-
ed that the oppressed majority is wei
; prepared to make it's power felt In tho
present conflict
Ono OF tho Side Issues.
The educa tiona tight which Is on,
of the side issues of the present dis
turbance, is explained as follows: Th,
Belgian schools of today are either
Roman Catholic church schools oi
public schools. The schools are man
aged and subsidized by the commune,
alone and in the non-clerical com.
munes there is a tendency to subsi.
die only the common schools. Broad.
ly speaking. the desire of the clerical
government Is to place the church
schools on the same financial footing