The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1889. THE REDUCTION OF MEMBERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1924, 3 August 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1889. THE REDUCTION OF MEMBERS.

Tm Stonewall has been scaled, and the Kepresentation Bill, has reached the committee stage no sir. The doors of Parliament have once more been opened, and the light of day shines in once more on the actions of our representatives 1 in Parliament. For eight daya the town members Btonewalled the Bill, and during all that time they hadl our sympathy. The principle of the Bill is to politically enslave one fourth' of the 'cities, and we have all along held that the city members were quite justified in resisting it, but recent events have changed the aspect of affairs. Sir George' 0 G-rey, with that statesmanlike astuteness which is peculiarly his own when uninfluenced by ulterior' considerations, has submitted proposals which at any rate the city members ought to gladly accept. He'has propeaed to. suspend the reduction of members until after the next election and to-abolish plural voting. • This is a grand, statesmanlike proposal, but the very men whoought to support it have their intention to vote against it. r :We can understand country representatives who pledged themselves to reduce the number of; member* adhering to their former decision. No alteration has taken < place in anything so fsr as country' members are concerned to induce them to change their minds. It is not so with city members. It is proposed to take away from the cities most of the members by which representation has been reduced, 1 The four cities will, if the proposals' before the House are carried, lose between ten and twelve members, I while the whole of the remainder of 1 the colony wity only lose nine or ten members. This gives the city mem- j bers the best*. t excuse possible for changing their . minds. One-fourth of their constituents are to be politically effaced, blotted out completely. That gives them a good! excuse for reverting back to the 91 members. They can say to their constituents: "We had to do it. We had to choose one of two alternatives. We had te choose between a return to the 91 members or ihe enslavement of one-fourth of our constituents. Of the two evils we chose the least." He would be a very stupid city elector, indeed, who would not applaud their action as wise and sensible, but apparently the city members think differently. They are, it is said,' secretly in favor of the 91 members, but are afraid to vote against the reduction for fear of losing the confidence of their constituents. It is a sad case when people are' so weak as to do what they know must lead to disaster through fear of their constituents. Such men are unwofthy of eohfidence. But what else could we expect from such men as Mr Barron, the author of the recent property-tax proposals ? We cannot expect sense from one so ridiculously foolish as he proved himself with : respect to the property tax and other matters. Under the circumstances we can no longer sympathise with the town members, however repulsive the barbaric, proposal of the country members is. We can, therefore, only ;hope that the > country party will succeed in.carrying out their proposals, and those poor; town weaklings, who have as, much idea o| statesmanship as,;their, own, boots, will, be wiped, out under the, altered circumstances,,,,. ,