THE ELECTION OF DELEGATES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 306, 6 March 1868, Page 3

THE ELECTION OF DELEGATES.

(To the Editor of the Dunstan Times. ) Cromwell, 2nd March, IS6B. Sir, —“Fair Play ” is supposed to be a valuable principle in all transactions of life, and therefore should be prized in the Crom-

well district a< much as in any part of the Globe. In the report of the Mining Delegates Election which appeared in your last issue, it wa3 stated that, although much exitement existed during the election, nothing appeared of a disagreeable nature except at Cromwell, when it was proposed to throw some Chinese over the Cromwell bridge into the Molyneaux. Your report, I believe, was correct, as some of the Europeans did threaten jocularly to give the " No savies" a "wet blanket" to. sleep in. Had the objection of some of the miners to Chinese voting, been the only barrier, not much could be said ; but, when the Government appointees refuse the vote of the Chinese, then the principle of " Fair Play'' becomes at once violated, and a reason for such a violation, I am informed, will be demanded of the Government. The announcement published in the columns of ;he " Dunstan Times "—that an election of Delegates to represent various districts at a conference at Dunedin, would take place on the 24th ult.—did not mention a single word as to the invalidity of a Chinaman's vote, but only called on all holders of miners' rights to vote for whomsoever they thought proper. Narrow-minded argvment«tors may probably assert that a Chinaman, not fully understanding the English tongue, has no right to record his vote at any goldfields election, and consequently would endorse the act of the Deputy Returning Officer in refusing John a voice in the choice of a representative of the mining interest. Whether the Chinese understand English well or not they have a voting qualification vested in their miner's right, an l that power ought to have been recognised and protected by the Government. It is a truism that demands no sifting, that some intelligence is necessary to assist a voter in recording his vote for the "best man." But who is the best man ? That is the question. It can be easily proved that many Europeans give their votes to one person in preference to another, not because they are voting to place the right man in the jight place, but because David Solomon I Owens, the local oracle, says so. I If Europeans vote at random, why not I allow the Chinese the same privilege? They i are equally entitled to do so by virtue of Itheir miner's right, and further, many of them, in this district at least, are old Victorians, and speak English quite as fluently i as do a large number of our European population. The stumbling-block in the way of having universal suffrage in the Mother Country is the stated want of intelligence among the lower order of society. Here we have universal suffrage at the cost of £l only, and as John pays that £l, by refusing him the privilege of recording his vote in goldti Ids matters, the Government robs him of that for which he has paid the full extent of the price deman ed. The intelligent portion of the Chinese population among us ousrht to be encouraged as much as possible to mix with the Europeans with all the freedom they are accustomed to among their own countrymen. By the latest Victorian statistics it appears that there are over twenty thousand Chinese in that colony as settled miners, and it is not the least improbable that onehalf of that number will be found settled down in Otago four years hence, and there fore the sooner the Europeans commence to acclimatise them, or socialise tkem (whichever term you fancy most) the bettor. Mr. Feraud (ex-Mayor of Clyde) and the E itor of thy " Dunstan Times," some two years past, advocated strongly the introduction of Chinese to the colony, and if all the curses heaped on their heals by the European miners had been duly executed, the brace of Chinese admirers would now be lodge 1 in very uncomfortable quarters, which, to avoi I profanity, I abstain from mentioning. However, the Johnnies have turned out a good importation, and in this district, as a rule, they are deemed a most industrious class, and not the professed pilferers we supposed them to be, and to send them from the polling-place on the 24th without giving them an opportunity of voting was not only an unwise act, but certainly an illegal one, an I the illegality will bo shortly trace I to i:s "spring source and f ■untain head.'' Anent the delegation un 'er notice, your remarks in last Friday's issue wer;3 most seasonable, boa; ina on die wisdomless act of the authorities in calling upon the delegates to convene at Dunedin as early as the 4th inst., without giving them an opportunity of ascertaing the views of those who had elected them. No man is omniseient, and therefoe, however extensive the railing experience of the delegates may be, they cannot possibly know the whole wants of the various localities they represent, and it follows, as a matter of course, that it would have been most desirable for the delegates to have met their constituents, and received from them suggestions calculated to be of benefit. The delegates, it is presumable, are by this time in the metropolis, and the only mode of counteracting the evil of their hurried despatch would he for them to communicate with their supporters in the various districts, soliciting them to call public meetings, and ascertain fully the opinions entertained by the miners. Unless that course be adopted the delegates will only return from the conference to be blamed for not proposing countless mining rules not dreamt of by them at the present time ; so, as a matter of self-preservation, it would be politic on their part to communicate as suggested. The Government has now called on the various goldfields to send in representatives to frame fresh reflations, and although the call has been made in the most slovenly manner, still it is o' value, and the present is a mo3t favorable opportunity for the miners to have their grievances redressed. Now is the time fo the delegate I to combat against rules th.-u are damning to the interest of the miners and also to bring into existence new ones calculated to prove valuable for years to come, aa it is very improbable that the Go-

vornnient will trouble itself to Lave new rule 3 enacted every change of the moon. The goldfields have now sent to the Government cook-house seven cooks of their own choice, to conk rules suitable to the taste of various districts, and if the mess should not prove palatable the Government may at any time, with every grace, say that the delegates made a mess of their mission. Trusting that you will find space for the above remarks, I am, &c, FAIR PLAY.