Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1903 — METHOD OF CASTING BALLOTS. [ARTICLE]

METHOD OF CASTING BALLOTS.

Procedure by tbe Cardinals Elect a Pope In Conclave. The cardinals, when seated, are surmounted by canopies—violet for cardinals created by the late Pope, green for Oreglia, the only cardinal living who wan created by an earlier Pope. Upon a Pope being elected all the canopied are lowered, that of the new Pope alone being left standing. A writing table is befpte each cardinal, besides six more in tbe middle. The senior cardinal-bishop occupies a seat on the gospel side of the main altar. . The renior cardinal-deacon sits on the opposite or epistle side. Other .cardinals, bishops, priests and • deacons are arranged around in the order of the date of their creation. Cardinals in their places or at any of the. six additional tables fill their “sehede,” or voting papers, folding down and sealing the top end of the paper, where the voter’s name is written, and the bottom end, where each writes tome scriptural motto, which becomes his distinctive mark and which lie uses through the election. In the middle of the paper, between the two sealed folds, each elector writes .the name of the candidate for whom he votes, that name, alone being unsealed and open. On the main altar at the communion table stands a large chalice, covered by a pi's. When all are ready each cardinal in turn steps up to the altar, swears aloud that his vote is given upon conscientious conviction, then lays his paper on the pix, and raises and tilts the pix, letting his paper slide into the chalice. When all have voted the scrutineers examine the papers, read and tell the candidates’ names, breaking no seals. Should none of ,the candidates obtain the legal number of votes (two-thirds of the votes, with one additional), the afternoon, an “acee. eit” ballot becomes necessary. Each voter is then allowed to change his mind, or forsake his morning candidate, whom he may consider "frapeless, and “accede” or join his vote to , that of any other candidate who has already secured votes in the morning and may have a better chance. In this case the voter writes in his paper “ac-cedo” before the nanie of his new candidate If he wishes to abide by his morning

vote, he writes “nceedo nemini,” thus confirming his morning vote. The scrutineers again read and tell the votes, unsealing the bottom end of the voting papers, to establish the identity of the morning and evening vote of each elector by the scriptural motto distinguishing him, without, however, breaking the seal at the top end. where the voter's name is written, which remains a secret. If neither at the morning uor evening ballot any of the candidates has obtained the legal number of votes, the papers are burnt with damp straw, emitting a dense smoke, nnd this smoke, arising front the well-known chimney, informs the outer world that no Pope has been made, and that a new ballot has become necessary. Should any candidate obtain precisely two-thirds of the votes, his own voting paper must be singled out and the seal concealing his name broken to make sure that lie lias not voted for himself. If he has not done so his election is valid. Considerable error has been made in the various analyses that have been recently published concerning the sacred college. This has been largely due to the constant changing of the personnel of the college by the deaths of cardinals and the creation of new oiies. 1 ’ In the college as it is now constituted there nte thirty-nine Italian cardinals and not forty-eight, as has been stated in many accounts published heretofore. Of the 153 appointed by Pope Leo sixtydliree remain. The sole survivor of those appointed by Pope Pius IX. is the cardinal camerlengo, Oreglia dl Santo Stefano. At present there are only twenty-five foreign cardinals. Of these seven are French, five Spanish, five Austro-llunga-riaus, three Germans,. one Belgian, one Portuguese nnd three of English-speak-ing countries —namely,-Moran of N Syduey, Gibbons of Baltimore and Logue of ArLouisville, Ky., is to construct a coilXeum with a seating capacity of 15.000 nnd then make a good bid for both the Democratic and Republican national conventions pext year.

lightning struck n load of hay near Miami, 1. T„ and set fire to the hay and killed Robert Grillin'. The deceased took shelter under the hay from a shower of rain that came up and when the lightning struck the hay three people were knocked to the ground, hut none were hurt except Grfctln. The school board of Kansas City wilt pay 14 Cents a bushel for coal this year, against 10 3-5 cent? lpsf year. \ Dealers made an effort to hold up the hoard for 18 cents a bushel, hut the combination was broken.