THE QUALIFICATION OF ELECTIONS BILL.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 91, 12 November 1879, Page 2

THE QUALIFICATION OF ELECTIONS BILL.

r .Jh tie House of EepreatntttiTM on Fri» day. nigh tY the Qualiflcafcion of Elections •BiU'was further considered m Committee when,-- /w ' }^ ■ ; 'V -:/:' x v'" v ; " ; » ■.'•' Mr.MoNTGK)HXST propofted m «zn«ad> ment' to clause 2, to prevent the perpctm- . tion of fagot; rotes, whereby resident* m cities towns swamped country elections. The clause evidently contemplated the legalising of twb:bV more vbteii to holders of property, and this he objected to. He I moved as' toL amendmenfc-T^'.That. no .person should by virtue of the Act have his name enrolled on more than one Electoral 801 l m forbein th* Colony." ! . . ' : Mr. Mobs proposed a somewhat i differently worded amendment, giving every man 21 years of age, resident one. year m th« Colony,' a 1 vote m the district m whioh- he • resides, and no more, and to do away with, property qualicafron altogether. ! One vif- • tue of this system would be to show on the Electoral Bolls' the precise number of elec- . ; tbrs m the Colony. , Mr. Kbllt showed that the amendment i 'would effect the Maori rote. , '■'<% -:.i> . '--'■ Mr. Mdss said that was exactly what Tie intended, He maintained that there should ' : be no distinction between: the' .Maori riind'/^> the European jn voting, and that it, would '/■- --be a great piece of impertinence for. any ?KegUtration Officer to aak ; a|man on coniing to -register his qualification as a vbttV£'wli<» 4;u: his father and mother were. •.-.-; ._'"'■. : Mr. BAiiAif c« showed hbwby the substi- '• tution of the word '-person " for "man * ; the clause, the franchise could, as he held it ought co be, extended to' womon owning . property. This, he thought, would eftthe desire to obtain small freehold*, . and thus ultimately^ destroy tfie preseat ; power of large property holders to control elections, He supported both a residental and a property jqualification, and would -~ . extend the privilege to the Maori pdpul»« ration.' -.■--' ■■'-'.':{.. . .';-■"■ • .;'.■■;■: ■- ■ i :-'iv^*v' : ' : • :=. The .PwßMiKif showed fhat the practical : Ij diffic^y "would be f qV snjf ?fe ß^gistmfcio^ '^ Officer to know whether a parson reaii&ter^ . ing m one district was no also registered m ' an ( 6ther,,or three or four more. The Bft». •gulafciona of local Eleoiion* alreadr provided ' igSinisV^hy (?up i>ati©n of votes, the que^on, * being p'iit* to each voter, * ; ' Hare you iajrejidjc^ 'vote 4? " He held there' should be* disA^ - 'tinction m the voting po wop given to those, who held pßopePty. and had been long m the Colony, and, those who-recentiy arriving; and.owning no esfcate, \^p he, . wqujd obn-I cede that the pqwer. jshould ■■not range'\m\yond three or for yoies;" He denied; the in\ ' fluenceb^ 'no'bbjeb'lioS'ih adfiptiDjg the p!sn m force :ffi i "Vlctbwa, where: th'e' elections all- taka plaoeon the same day/ thus preclvjding any, ; igi-eat amount O| double votings ; Hesridi-' " 'eulad the arguments' of previous a pe~aker*. > :and said -that, opposition! , "to >thei' jßlill,;.thay were repmlifttjing: tiieiß Liberal .professions. ; .i ; ; .;. . v , .Mr. r ifgNTaoMtßßf showed -that the niak-, : ing up of electoi»l jolls wo^d be guided bji the l claims previously put .in.'for ; rjagit>'tra4jp, • and these would be .open, to 'scruti&y, aiid * 7 and a penalty could; be enforced ifbrclii mX ing tjp> befenrollod'bri more "list. Ha 'replied to the Premier's stricture and said; : that', while the people of thjt Colony bad ad- ' vanced m enligijtment on political "subj^-ts^ the Premier; had clung io his. oid ideas, iantf . had not awoke to the fact tb4t th« peopl« <5f New Zealand were prepared; for more ex-, - tended Liberal measures than they vw:*}!* - even two or thrpe years ago. The Preniie?. had confined his ideas to one BUbject t 7 thec _^ow.ej!_and_ciaims^pf "^property, propery," property ,'t.to cohtrbl the State: r '■-' 'Sir GEOBOBJaKitT supported thft amend- ' ment of the mejiiber fforr r P-ajnelL He said itwas infinitely, thebetter plan to put np7 thing but manhood, suffrage m the>preaenfc i ßill, . and leave outall reference to properl.* qualifitntion.; He: Promier's H Weath^t a man should be rewarded for' hiaj ~ thrift orgbod^fortune ip bbtaini^ pitoperty by getting^ a' pluraUly ttf >bt«i [reward existed m the mere, possession of-propei-ty. i He instanced the injustice wliieli .woiild be enf ailed upon riien who, instead of investing their means \n property, '-B'peiijt* their money m the education and intelleclual of iueir ' : cKiidrenr People^rearingffaniilies m tf>e (/olbhy had *«L : great a stale as those possessing £100,000; Again, the reward for iibiieis 'would neces- r - jcesarily entail a censorship to ensure thut rewards were not given for property ob«" itained by unfair or crinunalnieans.Ha! agreed with the uiember tfor Jtkaroa tliati^? the m his political ideas, war somewhat behind the age. Still he had joined the Liberal partyibri'atleasfc pro* iesßedto do go, aild might m timedaiui" the title of .Bachelor of Arts :.of the greofc Liberal .University, though he iuiglit not achieve a higher grade. Thef e had beeis, -us he had beibre observed^ a great Auction^ • for public favor held m that Hbuw, ariff* on the Govei-nmeiit side hid bieayery large, and the Liberal party might'no^ confidently hope to get.support froin>theui 'm carryirig Liberal measures. One thing ■was: certain, if the Government made W stands' against Liberal measur<»« inajiy oftheir followers would desert thfju. Ha recommended that the House m dealing^ with^ the' Bill, should supp'o^t th^;' principle - of manhood suffrage at once, aijd Jeiveidis-^ cussion of the Maori' vote till further .ojj- " /x Colonel TBiMBiE thought it: desirable to retain, jhe freehold qualificbtibik x to v6te, and said . f ('hat--bt the proper tiiueiiv debaje-hewbuld support female suffrage. Mr. gTBTBifS showed that the. relative: numerical proportion of .votiog power^ m." the towns and m tjnecquritry would requireC- ; very careful^adjustment bjefore the Bill wait flnallj adopted. '■_'.; ' • - y^W?Z Mr. Ds Lautqto thought Messrs. Montgomery, said ; Moss " cbuld ¥ail welt toitetliev and amalgamate th«{r to the clause. One coddscar^lj^carriejl with-j ' out the other. ■/ ~ f t/v'.'-i ■ V .\'; : V:" ■:■. ■':, ' - . ; ; spoke iij f*fo» of lagisli^; tion not only for persons but for phmerty and; held that af least there shoiiM be a" - T«t» tor.eachißueh quaimcation/ not nic^ = •arily both limited to one district. - Mr. Moss showed that the grievance of any' State could not be reduced to "the Bame. rule as that governing oomn/erciahtransacUons, namely, giviug every m>n m the $*»«•. a voting power m proportion to the amount of his,proper T ty\stake m •uch'Sitate. Wealto, was; mcreasing 'm the colbnyj ; and m its. changiQg could, not be aocepisd ' a> a basis fo* regulatingtne ftanbhise. -■ iHa. accepted the suggestion of tLfhbn. nembeiL for Akaroa. : ■ - ■'-..,;, -.-'-. ■ — - '- X-'^ -• -(' Mr. Swakson condemned ti.e proi»sitidn J j» disfranchise property -ncSdiirs, especijlj. as affeetihg pity merchanUl, Auckland men. and others, who, had invested m- smdlire^.' bdlds: .wb^dgive them, tbeir . vot*«; hut he would insist that they *ultiTattd^ their freehold:, aqd^did tijot"'hp|d theiri? as mbre qualifications to "vote. '- The liberabmeh' ofithe'cblbny we>e th«artiif:- r sans, tradespeople, and others : struggling to^ > ; build up the prosperity of the country^ a^dTv the proposed diaqualificatiqn . ' would , i^f«<?t A ' themaßmuch as' the wealthier elaßseß. "la hiis opinion' the finanqial position of :tha - colony was-just this, that everyone who had >i x»o property would very soon clear out, $nd> leave the -burdens of the State to. those whq ' coui4 not, without sacrificing their piqiegsibDs,^get away. Th us; properky-hold«»i, attached as. thev ■.' were to the soilj phou, i '•> hjy^a«¥^«d/VoUng pu^er >«W|pft^rtn^

ropoaition being uphelcLto take such priyigeaway. Every man, ywffite" skin 'or lying ratesor taxss on liisroroperty; should i allowed to vote. • He represented a class colonists who possessed a multitude. ;of lall holdings, and he must protest against y- infringement on their ? electoral privi-'i gea.> He pooh-poohed the idea that town sidents alone were guilty of adversely : in-,j wincing country oleotions, bepauseT asjie id, country residents were; just as ready, at action times to swarm into towns ifedierd their votes. V •'.. .;.... 4 . - Dr. Wallis spoke to the amendrnemVitil the hour of adjournment,- «■>,. j. Tr . ,, A. divison was taken oh MrfMontgpmery'B uendmont on Clause 2, whereby ''it'Wa^^ •ovided that no one should be enrolled as i> elector on more than one roll m, the' Ibny. • ■' r - .^ ■■;,."--i-..-,^ , '"■ The amendment was lo^ t^e ?; voles : lie-' g— Ayea, 2-1; Noes, 30, - • Tub following is the division list— Noes; 1 )— Messrs. Adams, Atkinspnj. Bain* Bah>n, Brjce, Oolbeck, Driver, Gibbs, Ha^ amlin, Johnston,' Kellyi'Eeyin^ McLean," ianders, Stevens, Suttpn, Murray, Olivtr* J •rr?ond, Pitt, Rolleston, Swaosoi{. -Tbmou,- , Wallis, Whyte, Willi^ 'itibhardson^ assrs. Hursthouse, and- Stevens, teller. jes, 25— Messrs. Ballance.B^Mjony.iDich,' aher Greyj^arrif, Hutchinsonv'iiundon, acandrew, McDonald, Mos5 r ßeid^e<i4on^ gijks. Sheehan, Shupiiani, 1 Speigh" tj*"Ta> ii»-;-Te" Whero, jTole Trimble, Tur-nbull,' e?Brs. Do Lautour, and Montgomery,. lloi-s. ;. ' *- Mr. BAilancb moved as a further amendsnt that the- word " pjewion". '■'■ shoul,iv be ; bstituted m lieu of the v/bik " m^le.'? -j-He oceaded to say that; it V,v.'as m priesr r .t©i pfer voting power on /femalss* m ceßtain ies. ' ■ ■'■ ,-,^-- i 4 V^') : ■■;.'■ ;r' Mr. SwAifSta would vote fou' the.amend-f jut if it went the whole Jen^thi and. jal-, fed females to B itin-"t;he^.'Hou^^ Blr/ BamiAsce; said I*a^iT^e^clause,uifi rended m fcliafc way, wjSulcLdo ao/.v^'i; -~j'-; a y ; Colonel Jaijiißtß supporVeiJthe'amehd!nt,:but Mr. Pitt thoughjtjt g^ng alible' >^ar.,;- _■■ . ' \ i.i^il^.,:;.-^.:^,;. amusing discussion ensued! Mr./ Wo^^kinga-great-Juit^n/Jlei^pfcia^jtTbiff isequencea that would follow/tire/^adssion of the fair sex. ',ine.nv t fdiinade rei-y good speeches, greatly to tgratificutiou of the "fair decupants of le<i^Hery/ -f ■■;•■- ■ |:f ' v }, J^l ;^f •-' : ' Pheoiily members who, seamed tpiclner: Ihe question gravely /were,., th eji mover •' the, amendment, Colbnel Trimble) Mr;' lirray. and Dr.vWaliis.-/; .The/latter gentled i made a very Jengthy harangue, ;in wW)h v deaiguat;ed>wdmeh us sjavea; , od the admission of; women to i 'all the Nations of life. //.V ./ / t ■• division was take&ftfiiaat. great f iin, ; en there were Ayes, 2& rNoes f 32." '/.■' Pb» had the.effect of having' tlie f worderspn " substituted for the word " man,'^ ii other words, .endorsed^feniale suffrage, 'he House tlien adjourned for the visual \o.':'. :.■■--. ■ '■'._.] ' "■•/. ". . ■■..',;/ ; „ ■'?/ ':'■;