The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 38, 20 February 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1878.

The subject, of . electoral reform is .■rijCMV repei-ving sonic,. no-tice through.^ out the Colony. The. Premier ha? emjbodied it m- his programme foiv npst sessibn, and-purposes introduc"liig" Manhood Suffrage as one part Sol the reform,. Of fshe, Premieres views . m particular ' we. cannot say :i much, f«j-*-.we do not kriovy preeisply what they are, but the question itself -is" an important 6n&. So far as the _ re-distribution cf se^ts and electoral . boundaries are., concerned, we think ..that reform ?s urg'3ii|ly. needgd, bui . manhood sufi;r^o,.pure.,a^d sjinple is ,nQV.uifgently/requi.ryd at the.,presJßftt»- - It cannot ne.denied that the , great" majority of those who ought" to^haye.'a vote either ha ve : onej. o.r-'. coulo^'haye ou^if they chose. It has not be.en pearly maj3e put tha.^ ' any of • the . evils that exist m Ne'vv^ -ZealaptL to.-day are due to a^. with-' holdjjiig, of. the franchise from the waifs' a-rid-^trays of the-, communJLty. lea^ a^crj tp that effect has never been raised, and this is pretty .'^reliable evidence .that a., cha,nge m ■this 'direction is not urgently re ; . quired. " NevertHefe'ss, it is probable tliat an incre.a^e' m fhe popular "vbtmg power would- be attended .wj|ji g6od v results,' and we would; ac-. co^Jingly . be ; glad • to f see suet, a change made. Tftit manhood suff rage F— what? does this mean ? If it means a taking . away o£- every lijjaitat,jpn^ and condition^ by- which tKe voting power inighs be controlled and^ p.u Jting , : . maiinpod Tn their place, 'as; tne only quali^a|:ioii, •then .we l)elieVe that mauhoqd suffrage is likely ; tijx do more, liarm^ ihan good- t to New Zealand. Sucl> an nn-. limited power, 6F the people to might bf. very smtable for a seized': country, Bu^in jSFew Zealand tli^re is aTv/ays a.lajge floatiftg population whose^interest "in th« country is of the most ephemeral character, and whose m .legislatipn^w.ould be thereforor of ajCharaetei?, to benefit themselves at the expanse of the. ■country. T.he squattingJaterest has hitherto been that against whicja the people haye had to protect them-

selves, but the popular interest is gradually and surely outbalancing it, and without any extension of the franchise.. But if the franchise is extended to, the degrea of absolute manhood suffrage, a source o£ danger is crea,tedin another quarter. There is danger of a majority of members being return&d to the House-, pledged,, to aohem.es calculated to put money m circulation, such as extravagant public, woxks. "While these y<o,uld benefit the instigators th,ey w.o.uld help to. bring ruin upon the se.ttled inhabitants by inajpo^verishing the country and making still heavier the, burthens of taxation. We hold therefore that if the franchise, is to be, extended it should still have, some condition attach.cii to it, calculated to make it available, for those only who have, some, settled interest m the colony. The. proposals of the late Grovernmeiit "on this head appear to haye.been as liberal as they were adequate. Mr Ormond, m his, speech at VV'aipawa the other day, said that it was their intention to have, substituted for. present qualifications residence for a year. This we thiuk is a. suggestion which, the. present Government might with advantage act upon. As a reform it has all thp,ajd vantages of .the more radical one that Sir. George G-rey proposes- whilst at the same time ijb protects the colony froni those persons who have., not proved that they' belong, to, the. colony, and- who therefore are. not justly, emitted to. a voice. in, its legislation.