Year: 1876

LETTER FROM T. ADOLPHUS TROLLUrE.
THE ITALIAN SENATE STILL SITTING TO AWAIT Ac-


TIoN OF THE LOWER HoUsE-sECRET VOTING


AND ITS EvIIs-PEoPLE LEAVING THE CITY FOR


COUNTRY IIFE--sNoBBIsnNEss OF wOULD-BE


FASHIONABLE PERSONS


fFRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUsEl


ROME Aug 5.-It is rather hard upon our Sena-
tors that they should be compelled to continue their
sttings in the dogdays because the lower branch OF
the Legislature will not, as 1t easily might dispatch
the business which will need to be subsequently sub
mitted to the Senate at earlier date. This year
the doctrine that nObiesse obliGehas been brought
home to their worshps with very considerable force
of conviction. The most interesting topic, however
to which their protracted sittings have given rise
has been due, not TO the Senatorial wisdom
with which their discussions have Illus
trated any of the matters brought before
them, but simply to a strange and unex-
planned error which occurred in the voting Of the
law respecting the pand frdneh arrangement pro-
posed by the Government for the purpose OF pro-
yiding commerce with the facilities which it enjoys
in England under the system of bonded warehouses.
The system il not altogether analogous to the En-
glsh one and the opponents Of the measure, who
had been supporters of SIgnor MnghettPs late Gov
ernment had little difficulty in showing that IL was
open TO very serious objections which do not apply
10 the English bonded warehouses, especially the
absence Of governmental control, and consequently
Of knowledge on the part of the Government OF the
amount of goods which enter. More interesting
than the discussion upon this point, however, was
the accident III accident il werel which took place
ut the voting The votes were equal, and 1t
thus became competent for the President
to give his casting vote in favor OF the
measure. But the number of balls in the urHs was
u ,l,.s nf afnfa mt hal
was TO be thought of this And, above all what
was TO be done Was the votaton TO be considered
void, or mott Eventually il decided that il
must be 80 considered. But the controversy TO
which the incident gave rise is still going on and
has brought to the front some considerations of a
more important nature than any result of the dis
cussion OH the puad IdacM can be. The reader is
probably aware that in the Italian Parliament all
voting of particular clauses of bill, or of amend
ments proposed in the course OF discussion is done
openly either by sitting and rising, or by rollcall,
with rird roce answer Of "Yes " OF "No' by each
member. But for the final passing of a measure in
its entirety, the law provides that the voting shall
be secret Urns are placed on table in front of
the Presidents chair, and each member drops
black or white ball into the urns without its being
possible that any human being should know how he
has voted.


The law appears TO me TO be in all respects, and
from every point of view an unfortunate one; and
circumstances have recently arisen that have had
the effect Of leading many of the more thoughtful
of the public men in Italy to the same opinion. 1t
is not long since very important measure-that OF
the late Prime Minister for enacting the nullity OF
legal deeds which had not been stamped at the time
of executon--was voted piecemeal, majority of
the Chamber voting openly for every one OF the
clauses of it, But when the bill was to be voted on
in its entirety-a process which, after the previous
voting, ought TO have been n mere forInallty and
foreqone conclusi0n-the secret vote OF the Cham
her rejected il The explanation of the fact in this
case was unfortunately not far to seek The gist of
the measure was to prevent the fraudulent evasion
of q tax which, as matters stood-and thanks TO
that corrupt secret vote still stand-was very largely
eyaded The rejection of the measure implied the
ayowed preference for n system under which fraud
was easy to one under which il would have become
impossible, or at least extremely difficult And
honorable members did not find themselves mas
ters of a sufficient stock OF cynical audacity TO
make this avowal openly. But they had no dill
cultv IN doing 20 under the shelter of the Sc
crct ballot. Men WHO had voted openly in the face
of day for every portion of the measure, voted
secretly against the entirety of It'll who the honora-
BILE gentlemen who had been guilty OF this ter
piyersation and this preference for fraud remained





snt has given rise to grave doubts in many minds as
10 the desirablility of continuing the practice OF
secret voting Ii is beginning to be felt that 1t robS
free institutions, constitutional government, and
parliamentary practice of the most valuable portion
of the lesson these things are 80 admirably adapted
To teach the Italians who have so much need OF such
schooling. The practice OF giving concealed ana
secret vote is but too much in accordance with all
the least satisfactory portions Of the Italian chaFac
ter IL s calculated to foster and keep alive those
very vices Of character which three long centuries
Of despotism in Church and State have engendered.
And il is impossible to avoid the suspicion that the
recent awkward accident in the Senate has been due
TO irregular practices springing out OF the same
faults of character. The case Is not 80 bad 0nej
for the question TO be decided fairly open to
difference OF opinion, and there had been no such
previous decision by open voting az that which made
the case in the Chamber, which has been alluded to-
so peculiorly disgraceful Nevertheless the system
NJ secret voting has received another damaging
blow.


The dehnitive placing of the Italian capital at
Rome has among a host of more important eonse-
auences. had the odd result Of transplanting
fashionable folly from the banks OF the Thames TO
those of the Tiber. The joke against snoDbish,
yould-be fashionable folks IN London, VINO, not
beiuo able TO accomplish an Autumnal emigration
from town like their betters put mp the shutters OF
the windows toward the street, and condemn them
selves 10 live In back rooms in darkness in order
that they may be supposed to be ont OF town. Is an
old one And now we are beginning TO have the
.o,,. tb;ng nj Romel I suppose that to certain