BLOCK VOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1283, 8 July 1886, Page 2

BLOCK VOTES.

TO THE EDITOR,

Sib, —It 'ii a matter for public regret that electors la roving at elections where there are several candidates to be elected do not give more consideration to the probable fitness or otherwise of the candidates for the work they will have to perform, and avoid putting in a set of men simply because they are willing to lend themselves to party purposes. It certainly can be urged that sometimes there are large queitions at issue, of vital importance to the State at large or to the particular community that may ate this power, whenjit may be excused, but it is a very dangerous power, and is not of much real importance to the people, for the reason that if they are not individually educated up to the standard of perfection that the use of the block vote is called upon to bring about they will soon weary of the thing they voted for, and it will become irksome.

Thera Is always more or less pressure brought to bear upon voters to produce a block vote, and this does away with the value of the ballot. 1 remember a case in the north of England, daring Mr Gladstone’s last campaign against Earl Baaconsfield, where the steward of the manor rode amongatthe tenants and told

em who they were t > vote for. and that it the candidate did not get in they would have to leave their farms imm diaely, and such was the power of the landlord that be coaid carry oat his threat, as the poor farmers’ tenure of the land waa so loose.

I see no objection whatever to candidates and their friends making speeches or circulating their views in any open way they choose,'but an aspirant for a seat in any governmental body should be above accepting the vote of any person which had not been given perfectly free. It would be better that great issues should be temporarily foregone till votera learnt to value the thing they attempt to achieve by voting in blocks, and it would not be amiss if at the same time they set acme value upon the sense of personal, honor exhibited by their candidates; It wonld have a beneficial educational influence upon themselves. —I am, etc., Ctiexxy.