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Show Belgium and Its Troubles. BELGIUM has been attracting attention atten-tion of late because of internal disorders. Worklngmen have created cre-ated demonstrations under the leadership leader-ship of the Socialist party, and strikes and riots have succeeded one another. Blood has been shed in the streets of Brussels, catholic deputies have been i assaulted and their homes stoned by the mob. Government troops have fired into hostile crowds and the common people have carted away the dead and wounded. With regard to the trouble in Belgium it should be understood clearlv that the cause is political and not industrial. That is, the Radicals, although they, no doubt, intend to use political power to industrial ends, are bent just now only on getting that political power into their hands. The industrial movement will come later. The demand made at present seems to an American to be most reasonable. It is condensed into the formula "one man, one vote." This w as the cry to which England rang out many years ago, and it is characteristic characteris-tic of the English people that they transformed their political theory into political reality without resorting to the measure which the Belgians now contemplate. At present every Belgian over 21 can vote once, but there are some Belgians who can vote more than once. Every man, for instance, who has a certain amount of property, or who, being over 33, has legitimate issue and pays a certain cer-tain house tax, can vote twice. Also, every man who has certain educational tiuciiuicaiious van uie inree times, in this way the poor and the ignorant have been deprived of -power which they think they ought to enjoy. At the last parliamentary election the number of citizens qualified to vote was about 1,400,900. Supplemental votes, however, cast'by those who had a right to vote more than once amounted to about 750,000. In a great many constituencies, consti-tuencies, therefore, the Radicals, although al-though numerically a majority, were ! beaten at the polls. Naturally, it is to their advantage to effect a change in the election laws. An American Catholic trying to post himself on Belgium, will naturally inquire in-quire the meaning of a "clerical" party. No matter what good purpose may be urged by the advocates of a clerical party, the answer given the American Catholic is hush t ivfar-1 m v n.l,l,,m is or was, a Catholic country. It is declared de-clared t obe the most constitutional of the limited monarchies of Europe. Then what necessity is there for a clerical party, w hich implies favoritism a. d discrimination? A clerical party in Belgium is different differ-ent from a Catholic party in Germany. In Germany a Catholic party was necessary nec-essary for the defense, of Catholic rights attacked by Bismarck. In Ireland Ire-land it was tire "soggarth aroon" who stood by the'eomnum people as against the landlord: hence the clerical (or Catholic) party which afterwards gave place to the land league. I We believe this clerical party in Bel- ' gium is responsible for the disordered ; condition of that country. We are in. ! clined to the opinion that those endowed en-dowed -with two and three votes belong to that party and are kept in power by the provisions of. that state enactment. Such inequality of suffrage engenders resentment in the breasts of the common com-mon people. It is easy, then, for the enemies of Catholic faith to take advantage ad-vantage of the people's discontent and win them to the abominable idea of socialism as the panacea for political and social infirmities. This they have done in Catholic Belgium. Belgium adhered to the faith during all the religious wars of the Netherlands, Nether-lands, sometimes belonging to Holland, to France, to Spain. What a grand place Belgium would have been ten years ago to have put in practical operation op-eration the encyclical of Pope Leo to mami-iB unu er tuns. iiao. tne auvice of the pontiff been heeded and followed fol-lowed by the Catholic capitalists of Eelgium. there would be no socialist party and suffrage would mean "one man,1 one vote." We would not hear of a .clerical 'party either. Perhaps Belgium may be plunged into the tires of a revolution before she is purged of political and social ills. Let it come. There is nothing like an object lesson to destroy the dream which socialism sets up. An object lesson les-son is needed just now in Belgium. Therefore, welcome a government established es-tablished by socialists, even though the history of the French. revolution be repeated. re-peated. Then socialism wiH die like the moth before the candle and the common people of all civilized countries will have their eyes opened to faith and reason. |