Year: 1876

Paris Correspondence of the Boston Journal


Tho voting places are all to be opened


at I'm tho morning. There is special


regulation for the manner In which the


tables Of tho president and tho ASSESS


ors," as they are called--that is, the


guardian of the polls-shall be placed


so that tho officers can overlook every


are to be placed on these tables, 80


that they can be, ut a moments notice,


at the disposition OF any elector who


may desire to look at them. As soon rs


the electors have assembled, the presi-
dent, who has been chosen at some Of
| the preliminary meetings or catIcuses OF


the college, Is Obliged to call to the plat
! form the two Oldest and the two young
est Of the electors present. There is q


law for this. although one can hardly
| see the use Of it, and the projects are re-
electors beforehand, SO that in case the
eldest and youngest are not at the meet
! ing, those who come next in the
order of age may be taken. A secretary
| is then chosen by vote. The Presi-
dents authority Is absolute, and he
is strictly enjoined to prevent any elector
from overstepping the bounds OF busi-
ness for which the meeting Is assem-
bled all discussion is expressly forbid
den by law. None but the delegates
authorized as electors can enter the
hall; and each one OF those persons, be-
fore entering, must give assurance, and
weapons Of any kind upon his
person. The police force cannot
enter the hall nor be in the vi
cinity without special authorization
from the president Of the college but
both civil and military authorities are
required to hold themselves subject to
that officers requisition. The law Of
August, 1875, requires, farther, that each
college be divided into sections, and
that each section shall have president
and inspectors, and the principal "bu-
roau' shall have power to arbitrate
upon any disputes which may
is required to vote by sections; each sec
tion is provided with double-locked
boxes. Before proceeding to vote these
boxes are opened, scanned by the presi-
dent Of each section, who declares that
they are at that time empty. The names
Of the electors are then called off from a
list alphabetically arranged, and each
voter goes to the box in the section to
which he has been assigned, deposits
his vote, and returns TO his seat. There
is no crowding, because there is no crowd.



within the hall mo "peddlers" Of tickets
are allowed in the vicinity even. The
elector must give his vote to the presi-
dent of his section, who is required by
special regulation to feel Of 1t until he is
satisfied that there are not two together,
and who then places it In the locked box
As each electOr votes he presents his Gre
dentials, and the fact that he has voted
is registered. Ii a regularly elected
elector is absent by any hazard his sub
stitute is allowed to vote in his stead,
only after long and, one must admit,
tiresome series of formulas. After the
general vote the list is read over once or
twice to assure against errors. Counting
is at once begun as soon as the vote Is
finished. The president of the college,
aided by the other members of the
bureau" will open one by one
the boxes containing the votes. He
must count and the votes of each section
must be verified in turn. Then this
count is registered in the most ample
and careful manner. II any elector