THE BALLOT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Southland Times, Issue 1248, 10 May 1870, Page 2

THE BALLOT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

(to thllditob of thb Tones.) Sir, — What will the New Zealand House of Lords think of it?- However independent some men are to vote in the election of representatives, it is undoubtedly the, duty of every man. who takes ah active 'piirt in public affairs to endeavor to secure the freedom and independence of others. It is no uncommon thing for candidates or their ; agents, at elections, to make use of coercion in some shape or other to obtain rotes. Every man cannot sacrifice to the extent of being stripped naked, and his family ruined, by giving an independent vote in accordance with his conscience. Therefore, every man in possession of the privilege of voting, should be so placed that he may exercise the public trust confided to him — to be made use of for the public good— to the best of hi* j udgment ; free from any evil consequences to himself as a result of such action. • Those who talk about and oppose vote by ballot as " un-Eaglish," " cowardly," and such stuff, are men who may be in a position to give an independent vote without the ballot, but why do they deny the protection, of the ballot to others who cannot protect themselves? There is no just reason why we should not have vote by ballot in this Colony ; and there should be a great endeavor-to secure the independence of voting free from corrupting and coercive influence of every sort before the next general election. There are great questions looming, not in the distant future, but near at hand, and the colonists as a body should be thoroughly free and independent in voting for the most eligible and~~reliable men — men capable of taking a plain, straightforward, and comprehensive graap of those matters which concern the successful and prosperous colonization of the country— men who would faithfully perform their duty to the public— Tours, Ac, May, 1870. P.S. — The following may be of some use !o members of our Colonial^ ment^ next Session :—? The Ballot ■ Jpi

introduced into Parliament by Mr Leatham, M.P., embraces the details of a echeme for taking votes at parliamentary and municipal elections. The main feature is that each voter on presenting himself at the polling bioth receives a voting card, containing the names of all the candidates in alphabetical order, and printed in different colored inks, which card the presiding officer, at the time of delivering it, endorses in invisible ink, with his own initials and the register Dumber of the voter, , at the same time placing a mark against the-narre of the voter on a copy of the register. The voter is then to retire into a private compartment, and, after striking out the names of the candidates for whom he does not intend to vote, is to fold up nis card so that its contents cannot be seen, and return it to the official, who will verify the initials on the back ; and j in the presence of the voter deposit the card in a locked ballot-box." •