CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 1866.

Charleston Argus, Volume 1, Issue 8, 10 April 1867, Page 2

CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 1866.

The first of the election of a member for the West Coast of this Province has been already inaugurated at the Buller, and by the time this reaches our readers' eyes, it will have been decided. A memorial was sent by the inhabitants of Westport, who have been virtually disfranchised, praying that in case of no alteration being possible, that the election might be postponed ; 'out the only reply was the document we published in our last issue, which really said no more than that matters must stand as originally arranged. With sincere pain we say that the coming election for here will not in the least degree represent the public of the place, and the process of election is in a great measure a solemn farce. The 17th is the nomination day, and only business license holders, or holders of miners' rights of six months standing, are eligible to vote. When the very limited number of persons at ; prssent_congregatsd here who have been in the Province s£jr. months are considered in comparison with those at present located on the western side of the Province, it is certain that the socalled blessing of representation is really non-existant. It is, however, certain that if only twenty votes can be recorded, the election will be accepted as the final dek>rminaiion at a} population UUmbc^^g thousands, and surely it behoves the pi™c to take such steps as will in future prevent the recurrence of such grave grounds of complaint. It is not in the power of the Provincial Council to make any alteration j but the General .Assembly is about to tneet, and if these facts are properly set forward, there will be no difficulty in getting regulations made that will prevent the same injustice in future elections. That because a man has not been six months in the Province he should be condemned to political death, we cannot see; but such, in fact, is the ruling as the law at present stands. One more word in reference to the election: —lt must be borne in mind that whoever is returned, is returned for the duration of this Council, and not for the May session only; and on the member now chosen hinges in a great degree the prosperity of the district. There are many questions of vital importance to be brought forward, and the public cannot be too careful into whose hands they entrust them. We neither require adventurers to serve their own interests, nor u sticks" who cannot say a word in explanation of what they request. We are likely, we believe, to be favored with both, and one gentleman, in order to secure two strings to his bow, has gone in both for here and Westport. We shall have more to say in a future issue, in the meantime we earnestly hope that the public will be cautious in pledging themselves to any one.