PURITY OF ELECTIONS.—THE REVISION COURT AT THE BAY OF ISLANDS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5420, 10 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

PURITY OF ELECTIONS.—THE REVISION COURT AT THE BAY OF ISLANDS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. . Sir, —I am au old resident in this colony, of thirty-seven years standing, and during this long period I do not remember once taking my pen in hand to expose any abuse of political power,. Under these circumstances I think I have some claim on your indulgence to admit this letter in your valuable journal. I have always felt there were ethers more competent, in fact I have no taste for this eort of thing ; but the time is come when every honest elector in this district must lift up his voice, however feeble, and use every legitimate means to expose the conduct of the Government to the electors of the Bay of Islands. Such a flagrant piece of injustice as this electoral district has been subjected to has never before come to ray knowledge since the formation of the colony. I will briefly and faithfully state the whole particulars. Tho Revision Court was advertised to sit at Russell on Wednesday, the fifth Instant, for the purpose of hearing objections to names, now on the roll. Mr. K. M. Williams, R.M., was the person appointed to make sucii objections, and I think X may say some hundreds of names have been objected to, and duly advertised as required by law. The evening before tbo Court sat, Hr. Williams was much surprised to receive a telegraphic message from tho Govern•ment requesting him to resign his appointment of Returning and Revising Officer by telegram, which he did, stating that tho Court would sit on the morrow, and giving tho Govcrnmeut tho opportunity of permitting him to make tho objections before ho retired- He

was informed that Captain Baker was appointed. Tho effect, sir, of tills nice little arrangement was that no qualified person could appear at the Court to make the objections ; and as some 480 new names have recently been placed on the roll—a largo portion of which have no qualification whatever—all have to remain, as well as tho dead and those who have left. This electoral district is completely disfranchised, and it is entirely in the hands of the Government to place any member of Parliament in that may suit their purpose. Here- we have “The dyer’s hand that allows what it works in.” Sir, there are hundreds of names of persons on this roll that have no more right to vote than if they lived in the United States of America. Is this the means the present immaculate Government intend to use to ensure a majority in Parliament ? A loud howl of indignation is heard through the whole district, —of what use is the representatativo principle, the birthright of every Englishman, if it is iu the power of any Government to deprive them of it ? The Premier’s panacea for all the ills of the State is complete representation. This is complete represents!! m with a vengeance. Sir, let me remind him of Bolingbrook’s celebrated dictum, “ The integrity of a Parliament is the only true Palladium, tho tutelary goddess that takes charge of the affairs of the State.” It is to be hoped this matter will be brought before Parliament during the session, I can see but one way out of the difficulty : to bring in a short Bill empowering the Government to have an extra sitting ot the Revision Court. Whoever the Government may put in cannot, aud will not, be the representative of this electoral district, if returned by the persons whose names are on the present roll.

The electors of this district will never rest satisfied until there is*a full investigation into this nefarious proceeding. I feel strongly about this matter, sir, but “ nothing extenuate, nor set down aught iu malice.”—l am, Sec., * An Elector. Hokianga, August, 1878.