Show THE BELGIAN BOOMERANG at the time the now new constitutional amendments amendment were adopted by the kingdom of belgium these columns contained allusions to the novel multi of the electorate by the system of increasing the votes that certain classes of citizens might cast b by y reason of business educational social and financial qualifications on sunday bunday the the first election under the amended amen deil constitution was held and the result has been in the nature of a supreme disappointment to the liberal leaden who were chiefly instrumental to in having baring the changes adopted readers thus far re moved f from rom the little kingdom may not be expected too to have much interest in the parliamentary parliament aty struggle referred to but a review oi 01 the vote will not be without value as showing that although popular suffrage to ie a great and glorious safeguard 0 popular liberty it 4 if p possible 90 to manipulate it that tto cuip avely few rule the many or at least override I 1 I 1 the will of the majority formerly there were only about voters in belgium under the present constitution while there is in no increase in the population the number of voters is multiplied tenfold ten fold this phenomenon is explained by the lately adopted constitutional amendments which provide that there shall be three classes of 1 all men over 26 25 years of age who have lived jived in the district one year th these one have ha ve 0 no ne vote each 2 married men or wido widower paying an annual tax of live five francs who have two votes each aull and aj 3 the wealthy and educated classee which include the priests who have three votes each in the d first rat class are many residents of the towns and cities and manufacturing districts and most moat of the socialists representing the strength of the liberal or workingmen s party and numbering in all about the second clean class to is made up principally of the bourgeois tives fives in politics and catholic in religion numbering nearly the three vote men who are almost ex elusively conservatives and catholics number about OCO it will thus be seen moon that while the first named class outnumbers the other two combined the latter with their multiplied voting powe rare able to completely snow the working mens party under this has been done in the election just hold held the clerical party to is strongly trenched entrenched in in the now new chamber having a clear majority over aay combined opposition the liberals as a party have lost ground instead of gaining as was hoped would be the result of the new by system steni and the reformers who labored so devoted ly as champions of the people find themselves with little business left save the contemplation of the havoc and surprise wrought by their political boomerang |