Evening star., 1924-07-24
COMING ELECTION
ST|RS RESEARCH
Electoral College 0utgrowth
of Roman Empire and
Medieval "Rotary' Clubs"
WERE ONCE WELL FED
But Modern American Institution.
Strictly Theoretical, Doesn't
Even Hold Actual Meeting.

| Choosing a President, the next event
on the United States political cal
endar, brings into the Hmelight the
history of the electoral college, d
| practice of the medieval Holy Roman
empire and Marylands contribution
to the Constitution.
Red wine, roast pork. chicken.
pigeon. goose, rabbit, cakes and
sweetmeats were part of the business
OF the electoral college in its earliest,
lusty, German youth" says bulletin
| of the National Geographic Society,
| from its headquarters at Washington.
Nothing as prosaic as curtaiped
closet would do for Rhenish crafts
man engaged in choosing an execu-
tive. The electoral college first ap-
pears growing out OF we'll diner ses-
sions of medieval Rotary clubs in
such trade centerS as Cologne and
MainZ along the Rhine.
Dinner Time Was Polling Time.
THE appearance Of organized towns
| in Central Europe. following the leaV-
ening influence Of the Crusades. set
the stage for a battle. That new fig
ure. the merchant. began to refuse
obedience to the eXtravagant, fight
ing princelingS. With the aid OF
leaders Of medieval unions or guilds
the merchants won freedom for their
towns. To select the town admins
traitors peaceably guilds and mer
chants sent electors TO an election
! dinner party.
! Under the benign influence of much
spiced food officers were elected and
announced to the waiting populsc".
Election day was holiday within
town.
Out Of town Rotary club cleo
tions grew the imperial election col
Iege which proclaimed the head Of
the Holy Roman Empire. A. Mainz,
and later at Frankfort. the bishops
of Cologne and Mainz and few
mobiles of larger German states met
after the death of an emperor TO
elect his successor. Marylands
electoral college and the present
American electoral college are direct
descendants of this Holy Roman En-
pir. institution:
Now Electors Never Meet.
The electoral COLLEGE for which
millions Of citizens will vote in
! November will never meet. In each
of the IS States certain little groups
Will gather and mail an envelope TO
| Washington. The contents Of this
envelope will be counted by Two tel
lers Of the House Of Represe
! and read by the President of the
| Senate and the members of the cleo
toral college will have been gradu-
ated until another four years
difficulties of American parties IN
| selecting candidates for presidential
! elections fade against deadlocks in the
electoral college of cardinals at Rome
, ndue delays led early to the present
custom of forced SecluSion during the
voting for Pope. The cardinals in
come was cut off during the conclave,
they were allowed one servant apiece.
and they lived common life without
separate cells Their food was passed
through Il guarded window. 1t con-
three days and bread and water after
the NTH. When these measures
brought no result in 1868. the roof OF
the episcopal palace was taken off.
cHmped under the sky for nearly
I three years before they chose a
! ponliff.
| 4 sIOO.0OO.OO0 Convention Hall.
France has 800 100000 conven-
/ tion hall for its electoral college. This
/ auditorium. which cost the Reign Of
! Terror. was surprised in the midst Of
/ its regular seVen-year sleep recently,
! when the au~ust senators and the spir-
! tied deputies trouoed out twelve miles
| from Paris to elect NJ. Doumergue
| President of France
Versailles. whose mirrors have re-
! fected world moving events from
| the Vaccinations of Nine. de Main
| tenon to the signing of the World
War treaty in 1915. is less often
| recognized as the official capital of
France.
Elections in Palace and Clubs.
| Although the Senate and Cham
| ber Of Deputies of France convene in
| Paris now, they must meet jointly
| at Versailles 10 elect a president
| This officer ordna rily lives for seven
| years IN the Palais de rElySee and
! performs duties similar TO those of
! the British King; he speaks at pa
! and calls in new premiers TO replace
| defeated executives. Millerand. under
pressure of the French Legislature.
| is why the s1o0,00n000 home Of
Louis NV. glorious monument to
! monarchy unchecked, awoke out OF
! its seven year sleep to find a heavy
guard thrown abouts its marble
court. while French Legislators roll
ed up, >. to the south wing in
automobiles.
"Cologne's early Rathaus. where
| burghers dined and voted. finds a
counterpart today in some of Lon
don's famous political clubs. Many
English premiers are elected in the
Carlton Club and similar institutions
on Pail Mall under the shadow of
from the Parliament buildings. Selec-
ton by the king is merely an ap-
proval of a decision by leaders made
in leading Conservative. or Lib
eraf or La bor' club