PARLIAMENTARY.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 69, 14 August 1878, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, Aug. 9.

Mr Stout moved the second rending of the Electoral Bill. The most important feature of the new Bill is the proposal to extend the franchise. In speaking on this feature, Mr Stout thought that it was time that legislation should be introduced to prevent a minority of the people of the Colony legislating for the whole of the Colony. He found that there were numbers of people who ought to have a vote who wei’e without any, and were practically an outcast class in the Colony. He failed altogether to understand the force of the expression “a stake in Colony,” used by those in favour of restricting the franchise. If a man earned only his living in the Colony, though he was without land or household property, he had a stake in the Colony, because its prosperity would be his prosperity. Why should clerks, assistants in shops, settlers’ sons, and other unrepresented classes, be unrepresented ? Had they not as much intelligence as those who were allowed votes ? Why had they elections at all if it was not to test public opinion ? But that could not fairly or properly be done while there was such a large proportion of the population withheld from the franchise. The latent political forces of people was of no avail. Their whole Parliamentary system was based on the power of majorities. The philosophy of their system was to obtain political aggregates. He contended for present Bill, that it would have the effect of politically educating people, and without that was done it would be impossible to achieve any great political reform. He saw no cause for alarm in the proposed extension of the franchise The thing was inevitable, and must arrive shortly, no matter what party was in power. Mr Whitaker would not oppose the second reading, but he considered it open to a number of very serious objections. He objected first of all to what it did, and

then what it did not do. What it did not do thoroughjy. It sr-Tued to he tlra work of many minds, ami altogether a- a timid *vo I notion. T:m pruvi-don : too, were unm-cesaril y c implex. Tle sy turn of (juaaiic.it : on was altogether too comjdic ted. He t ought the franchise shou d he reduced to a simi lo residen ial one. He would not go fully into the question then, as he intended to reserve himself till he introduced his own Bill on the same subject ; and lie ventured to say members would find his Bill deal with questions more simply, more effectually, and more inexpensively. ■ Mr Joyce said the Colony had expected a much simpler Bill. He characterised the numbering of the ballots paper as a pernicious system, which ought to be discontinued. Government ought to have brought down a Manhood Suffrage Bill at once. As to the female franchise, he thought it would be time enough to consider that question when they had manhood suffrage, which, as yet, they did not have.

Mr De Latour supported the Bill. No doubt it was not perfect, no Bill ever w r as so. It gave the young men of the Colony a chance to come to the front. Mr Wason considered the enfranchisement of women a good feature of the Bill.

Mr Wakefield took strong exception to the Bill, as it wras not what the Colony had been led to expect from the stump speeches of the Premier. He (the Premier) was never tired of telling them wra should get manhood suffrage, or that no one man should have more than one vote, and yet this Bill perpetuated the very -worst feature of the present system by allowing plurality of votes. Why, he knew of several districts in the Colony, the elections of which could he carried by absentees’ votes, who had only to put in an appearance by train. In one place, of not more than seven hundred inhabitants, there was nearly double that number of voters. This failing to keep their promises, induced a feeling of distrust in all the Government measures.

Mr Moss (Parnell) spoke in favour of the Bill. Amendments could be made in Committee if necessary.