86 



BELGIUM. 



the Moderate Liberals, since these parties, agree- 

 ing only in their common enmity to the Clericals, 

 could not consistently support each other's can- 

 didates until the first ballot had proved that 

 their own had no prospect of being elected. 



Opinion was much divided on the question of 

 establishing a minimum living wage, and, while 

 the majority believed that one ought to be estab- 

 lished by law sufficiently high to allow a decent 

 existence, all agreed that this minimum must 

 vary according to local conditions. 



Toward the end of June the Government 

 brought forward the electoral bill that had been 

 decided upon. This embodied not the proposal 

 for cutting up the country into single districts, 

 but a plan advanced by M. Van den Peereboom, 

 which he called a compromise, but which was 

 even more obnoxious to the Socialists and Lib- 

 erals, because it was more flagrantly unfair. The 

 former proposal was withdrawn because it en- 

 countered not only the fierce resistance of the 

 various sections of the Opposition,, but was con- 

 demned by the moderate Conservatives and some 

 even of tlie stricter sect. As soon as the Govern- 

 ment bill was announced the Brussels Socialists 

 agreed to order a general strike of the workers 

 of the city on July 5, when the debate would 

 begin in the Chamber. A universal strike is a 

 political weapon that has been employed in Bel- 

 gium alone, where all workers are organized 

 in trade unions and all unions are controlled by 

 the Labor party. It was by means of a political 

 strike that the extension of the franchise was 

 wrung from the Government in 1893. On June 

 28 a great assemblage of demonstrants surround- 

 ed the Parliament buildings and the royal palace, 

 which was dispersed only after a sharp conflict 

 with the gendarmery, who charged repeatedly 

 with fixed bayonets and draw r n swords. The next 

 day the Socialists in the Chamber called the 

 Government to account for what they described 

 as the brutalities of the police. The Prime Min- 

 ister defended his electoral scheme as being of 

 the nature of a compromise, and said that any 

 other would be equally liable to attack. M. Van 

 der Velde, one of the Socialist leaders, declared 

 that his party would call upon the people to 

 defend themselves, and M. Lorand demanded the 

 postponement of the electoral law, declaring that 

 otherwise disorder would continue both in the 

 Chamber and in the streets. M. Furnemont 

 moved to censure the Government, and his reso- 

 lution was rejected by 87 to 31 votes. The sit- 

 ting was suspended, owing to the uproar that 

 followed, and cries for a republic were raised 

 in the crowd assembled outside as the Deputies 

 left the hall. The Socialist members marched 

 at the head of an immense procession, which 

 burst through the cordons of police that blocked 

 the way and filled the great square, where M. 

 Van der Velde delivered a speech. In the even- 

 ing a mob made a demonstration before the 

 Ministry of War which mounted gendarmes 

 were unable to stop, and later the crowd show- 

 ered stones upon the gendarmes, who charged 

 with drawn swords in the great square. When 

 the people began to pull up the paving stones to 

 use as missiles against the gendarmes, these were 

 replaced by civic guards. The next day and 

 evening fiercer riots took place, and the gen- 

 darmes who attempted to clear the great square 

 used ball cartridges after several useless bayonet 

 charges, while the rioters hurled all kinds of 

 missiles from the streets and houses, and began 

 throwing up barricades. Before morning the 

 military were brought into requisition. About 

 100 persons were injured. On the following day 



BOLIVIA. 



the Premier, in reply to an appeal for concilia- 

 tion from the Socialists on grounds of humanity, 

 promised to postpone action in order to study 

 the situation. The burgomasters of Brussels, 

 Ghent, Antwerp, and Liege declared that they 

 could not answer for public order if the electoral 

 bill were proceeded with. Civic guards cheered 

 the Socialist parades, and in some places went 

 to Socialist meetings with arms reversed in token 

 of surrender. Regular soldiers also attended 

 these meetings in uniform. The royal family 

 were said to be getting ready to flee from Bel- 

 gium. In Lige the entire civic guard joined 

 the Socialists at the Maison du Peuple. Mon- 

 ster meetings were held by Socialists and Radi- 

 cals together at Antwerp, Brussels, and other 

 places. The workmen of the mining districts 

 and the great factory towns agreed to join in 

 a general strike. On July 4 Minister Van den 

 Peereboom proposed to appoint a committee, in 

 which all parties should be represented, to con- 

 sider fresh electoral proposals. M. Theodor, an 

 independent member, then brought forward a 

 proposal to extend the system of full proportional 

 representation to the whole country. M. Van der 

 Velde, speaking for both parties of the Left, 

 accepted the Premier's proposal to refer all elec- 

 toral schemes to a committee, as this amounted 

 to a withdrawal of the original scheme, and 

 said that the Left consented to form part of the 

 committee as representing the country, which 

 had achieved a great victory. All traces of agi- 

 tation disappeared as soon as the Government 

 thus capitulated. The committee was appointed, 

 consisting of 15 members. On July 31 it reported 

 against the Government measures, rejecting also 

 the other proposals submitted to it. In conse- 

 quence of the committee's decision the ministers 

 on Aug. 1 tendered their resignation, and the 

 King called upon M. De Smet de Naeyer to form 

 a Cabinet. This was constituted on Aug. 4 as 

 follows: Premier and Minister of Finance and 

 of Public Works, M. De Smet de Naeyer ; Minister 

 of the Interior, M. De Trooz; Minister of Justice, 

 M. Van den Heuvel; Minister of War, Gen. 

 Cousebant Alkemade; Minister of Foreign Af- 

 fairs, M. De Favereau; Minister of Agriculture, 

 Baron Van der Bruggen; Minister of Industry 

 and Labor and provisionally of Railroads, M. 

 Liebart. The new Premier announced the adop- 

 tion of a modification of M. Theodor's proposal 

 of complete proportional representation. . Instead 

 of allowing a party commanding a clear majority 

 of the electoral vote of a district to elect a whole 

 list of candidates and fill all the seats, a new r 

 system is introduced limiting the seats assigned 

 to the proportion of votes cast by each party, 

 thus giving minorities full proportional repre- 

 sentation everywhere. The Government bill pro- 

 vided for the addition of 15 new members to the 

 Chambers. 



BOLIVIA, a republic in South America. The 

 legislative power is vested in the Congress, con- 

 sisting of a Senate of 18 members, elected for 

 six years, and a House of Representatives of 64 

 members, elected for four years. Every male 

 Bolivian of full age who can read and write 

 possesses the franchise. The President is elected 

 for four years by the vote of the nation, and is 

 not re-eligible for the next succeeding term. 



The President is Severe Fernandez Alonso, 

 who entered upon the office on Aug. 15, 1896. 

 The First Vice-President and President of the 

 Congress and Senate is Dr. Rafael Pefia; Second 

 Vice-President, Dr. Genaro Sanjines. The Cabi- 

 net at the opening of 1899 was composed of the 

 following members: Minister of Foreign Affairs 



