of the Congress of Deputies, Alvaro de Romanones,
under whom the Liberal ministry was continued in
office.]

*690. The Elections of 1910.*--The first important act of Canalejas was
to persuade the sovereign, as Moret had vainly sought to do, to
dissolve the Cortes, to the end that the Liberal ministry might appeal
to the country. The elections were held May 10. They were of peculiar
interest by reason of the fact that now for the first time there was
put into operation an electoral measure of the recent Maura government
whereby it is required that every candidate for a seat in the lower
chamber shall be placed in nomination by two ex-senators, two
ex-deputies, or three members of the general council of the province.
This regulation had been opposed by the Republicans and by the radical
elements generally on the ground that it put in the hands of the
Government power virtually to dictate candidacies in many electoral
districts, and the results seemed fairly to sustain the charge. May 1,
in accordance with a provision of the law, 120 deputies--upwards of
one-third of the total number to be chosen--were declared elected, by
reason of having no competitors. Of these 70 were Liberals, 39 were
Conservatives, and the remainder belonged to minor groups. In the
districts in which there were contests the Government also won
decisively a few days later, as it did likewise in the senatorial
elections of May 15. The results of the elections, as officially
reported, may be tabulated as follows:
(p. 625)
CONGRESS
OF
DEPUTIES
| Elected indirectly
| by the people, May 15
| |
| | Elected by
| | the corporations,
| | etc., May 15
| | |
| | | SENATE
| | | Total elected
| | | |
| | | | Immovable portion
| | | | of Senate
| | | | |
| | | | | Grand