CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 302, 7 September 1874, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

Tub CITY COUNCIL and the REFORM LEAGUE. To the Editor of the Evening Mail. Sir — The advisability or otherwise of dividing the town into wards for the election of City Councillors is occasionally spoken of by vrivate individuals but has not yet been publicly discussed. After thinking th" matter over, I had in nij' own mind come to the conclusion that such a sub-division in so tmall a community was scarcely necessary, but the ivction talunby tho Reform League in connection witb the forthcoming election has induced ms to alter my opinion. I wish it clearly to he understood that my remarks are not to be taken as written iv a spirit hostile to the League, which, I believe, computes many earnest men wbo have joined its ranks with a view to keeping a strict watch over the conduct of public affairs, an I using their united influence to rrevent mismanagement ami to < heck extravagant action whattver may be the direction in which it dtvelopes itself. I think, however, that on tho present occasion the League itself is acting in a manner that requir s some check to be placed upon it by those of the public whose names do not appear upon its roll of members, but who, nevertheless take an active interest in the welfare of tha town and province. I refer to the nomination of four candidates to fill the vacancies in the City Council, who, we are told, aro brought forward under the auspices of that body. $ew I think it most undesirable that any self-constituted association, no matter how meritorious m«y be its intentions, should be allowed to dictate to the public who are to be their representatives, be it in the Parliament of the colony, the Provincial, or the City Council, yet this is what the step recently taken by the League virtually amounts to. The League, a society which is not a representative one, numbers, I am informed, from 150 to 200 members, and, if this be the case, they can, by banding themselves together, decide the fate of any election, so that in the course of time — if ie should continue to hold together — our representative bodies-wit actudly be composed of mere delegates Ron] the Radios Wteforoj League. I can scarcely think that the existence of such a state of things would meet with public approval J In the matter of the City Council election, tbe division of the town into wards would have a tendency to prevent this evil by splitting the votes of the menbers of the League, instead of allowing them to\ te exercised en masse, and therefore I thinks the system of wards would be a boon to the. city. The whole of the cai didates who nave been nominated appear to me to be prett^s^ll on an equality, none much better or much worse tban the others, and I shall therefore enter my protest again M the attempt of the League to force its protegees upon the public by recording thy vote in favor of those who come forward upon their own merits, and a r e consequently far more likely to take an independent stand upon any question that may be brought before them than thvir opponents who acknowledge a mere. section of the people aa their masters. I repe it that I have the highest respect for the motives wh : ch originally actuated the Leaguers., in forming themselves into an association, but I earnestly deprecate tlu-ir action in 'this/* particular Wtier, nni { therefore, «S"1 said before, .vote upon principle agair.st their nominees, who, it is said, are Messrs Lightband, Levien, lladlow, and Stringer. I trust that a number of burgesses, sufficient to detent this attempt to influence the election, will think and act with me upon this subject. ' latn,&c, \ Fbeedom and Independence.