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Show RUSSIA MEEDS NEW VOTING METHODS Manner of Conducting Elections Is Antiquated, Cumbersome and Tedious. Coni.'spor.iioneo Associated Press. ST. PETERSBURG. March 13. The elections to tho Imperial Douma and tho Council of the Empire Russia's first Parliament bear only a slight resemblance resem-blance to elections in the United States. Tho Ministry of Election Is both "complicated "com-plicated and confusing, and the lack of political organization on the part of tho innumerable parlies in the field serves to increase the uncertainty of the results. Old Machinery Employed. For tho Douma, or lower chamber, practically the old machinery employed by the peasants In their communes and villages for the regulation of petty questions ques-tions of self-government is employed, and In the cities the ministry for the election of Dournas, or Town Councils, is used. The members of the Imperial Douma are elected by provincial congresses, composed com-posed of representatives of four classes tho peasants, the workmen, the land owners and tho city population as a class. Better in Larger Cities. Certain of the large cities, however, like St. Petersburg. Moscow and Odessa, elect a certain number of representatives irrespective of the provinces In which they are located. The number of such city representatives Is based upon aggregate aggre-gate population. Cumhersomo Methods. For Instance, St. Petersburg ejects six men to the Douma, and the procedure is as follows: The city Is divided Into twelve districts. Identical with the districts dis-tricts formed for the elections of members mem-bers of the Cily Council. In each of these districts a polling place is opened under the Hiiperivlslon of a president and commission com-mission appointed by the municipality, and here ttio qualified city voters on a specified day, from 'J o'clock in tho morning morn-ing until 9 o'clock at night, have the privilege of voting for delegates, who are to be chosen from each district to tho City Congress. The delegates, or "vlbor-schlkl," "vlbor-schlkl," as they are called, must be qualified quali-fied electors and residents of tho district. Vote for Any Citizen. The parties, of course, have tickets in the field, but tho elector votes for any resident of his district without regard to ticket, if he chooses. Without regard to whether they secure a majority of tho votes actually cast, the five electors receiving re-ceiving the highest number of votes bc-como bc-como the vlborschlki of the district. Tho qualification of he voters In Ihe cities 13 very low, Including practically all except tho lloatln; population. In St. Petersburg, Peters-burg, for Instance, the registration list totals almost 1B0,(X0 in a population of a million and a quarter, 60,C00 of which are debarred because they belong to the army or navy. Artisans Barred Out. Neither do the registration lists include the artisans who work In tho big factories fac-tories and mills. A special provision Is mude for the latter as a class. The workmen work-men of each factory employing over fifty men choos", according to their numbers, delegates to a general assembly of their own, which In turn chooses delegates to the city congress In tho case of St. Petersburg Pe-tersburg twenty-four. The city congress thus made up Is presided over by the Mayor, and chooses from among Its' membors tho representatives to the Douma. Long- and Tedious Voting. This balloting is conducted by balls. The name of the qualified candidates. I. e., members of the congress, arc read, and after each name Is pronounced each delegate deposits either a black or white ball, but for the whole series each delegate dele-gate has the privilege of casting only six affirmative votes. The process Is long and tedious, but Is supposed to give every candidate an equal chance. The six persons per-sons receiving the highest number arc declared elected. Peasants In Majority. The members from the provinces arc also elected in tho last Instance by a somewhat similar general congress of delegates del-egates representing the various provincial provin-cial classes. Tho steps and methods of election, however, aro very different, especially es-pecially in regard to the peasant class. The peasants comprise almost W per cent of the total population of the Empire, and In thirty-two of tho fifty ptovinces arc assigned a majority of the delegates to the provincial congresses. Widows May Vote The peasant, or moujlk. elections begin with the commune or village unit, tho heads of ovcry ten families women being allowed to vote where tho husband la dead selecting one of their number to represent them nt Velost, or cantonal meeting. This first step Is very primitive and follows the ancient traditions of village communal life in Russia, whero the "deslatnlk," or ' tenth man," Is usually usu-ally named In rotation to fill such public duties as his group is called upon to exercise, ex-ercise, his mission being regarded rather In tho nature of a duty than a privilege and honor. |