POLITICS FOR NEW ZEALANDERS

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4340, 24 November 1908, Page 3

POLITICS FOR NEW ZEALANDERS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Now that the elections are over, may I he excused for referring to your very able article of 17th ulto., under the above heading ? You refer to the “ selection ” of candidates by the public. Aye, there’s the rub! The “ selected.” If they only would select, but they don’t. Selection is the very last thing that obtains under our beautiful “majority rule.” The elections just past furnished me with some splendid pointers in favour of my contention—th .t majority rule is not the best. A daring statement, no doubt, but one that must be borne out by all thinking men and women, who have found from sad experience that “ thinking ” people are in the minority. What are the influences under which votes are cast ? A practical reply to this query was supplied by a returning officer of wide experience, and appeared in one of the papers the other day. Taking 10 as a basis, he says the average returns are as follows: Two will not exercise their vote at all, either from negligence or because no candidate pleases them, forgetting that it is their duty to make a choice in lanycase; three will vote for the most popuar candidate, e.g., “ back the winner,” just as they would a horse. They regard politics in the same light as racing, and back their fancy according to his chances of winning and for no other reason. This class ought to be disfranchised; three will vote for the candidate who is likely to advance his particular electorate most; two have a thorough grasp of the political situation, and will vote for the best all-round-man—oh, the pity and the irony of it—and the 2, mark you, are in a hopeless minority- The only class worthy to exercise the franchise is outweighed by the “ sportii g” element and the narrowminded provincial and local element, in | the ratio of 2 to 6 ! and which is the casting vote ? Why, it depends on the judgment of the “sporting” element! Whichever of the two leading candidates is most heavily backed by the “ sports ” will win. Let anyone who doubts this assertion make a few inquiries amongst the unpolitical electors, and the answer he will get will be, “ Well, I like to back a -winner, myself!” Can anyone doubt the utter absurdity of the statement that one man’s vote is as good as another ! Can anyone also deny that “majority rule’’means the average—strictly average —and therefore mediocrity ! There are three planes of mentality, the lowest, the average and the mediocrity, because they are the most numerous. If anyone is interested in the subject and cares to reply to this, I shall be pleased to give my views as to how this state of things may be improved. I am, sir, etc., M. Lavikgton-Clyde, L.S.W Auckland, 20th Nov. 1908