THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1891. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2254, 15 September 1891, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1891. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

" The wretch condemned with life to part To slightest hope will cling." '

Last session a Bill was passed, which practically abolished plural voting. Previously an elector could vote in every constituency in which he held property, but this was abolished by the last Parliament, and the last election was held under the " one-man-one-vote " system. It did not ; however, abolish the property qualification. It gave the elector the right to register wherever he held property, and to choose for himself the district in which to vote. This was practically manhood suffrage at general elections, but at bye-elections the thing was different altogether. Supposing, j for instance, an election took place in j Geraldine now every man who owns I property in the district could vote. j They could come from Dunedin, ; Christchurch, Timaru, or anywhere ! to vote, but at a general election they • could not do so without forfeiting their I right to vote in their own districts. The plural voting is therefore retained so far as bye-elections are concerned, and destroyed with regard to general elections. The House of Representatives this session placed bye and • general elections on the same footing by destroying the property qualification altogether, but the Upper House threw the clause out. Now this is a matter not worth fighting for, but it shows the reluctance with which the wealthy classes relax their grasp of power. One would think that they would have said: "As we have lost the power at general elections it is not worth our while to trouble about byeelections. For the sake of uniformity let us place the two elections on the same footing." If they had been sensible men that is what they would have said, and they would have acted accordingly, but they were mad enough to do exactly the opposite. What will they gain by it ? Under triennial parliaments byeelections are few and far between; they are not worth counting, yet for the sake of this miserable advantage they have rendered our electoral system illogical. That would have "been a small matter —in fact the Svhole thing is a small matter—but the effect of it on the public mind will not be good. The working classes, of whose power there is so ranch dread at the present time, will say : '•' See how they stick to this paltry advantage, we must dislodge them," and they will put forward greater efforts next election. It is not only in this matter, but in all the measures that have come before them the Council have acted in a very foolish manner. They have mutilated or destroyed all the labor bills, with the result that the labor party will be excited to further aggression. Another effect the action of the Council will have, and that is that the Government;' must appoint new members to enable them to carry their measures. It is no use for the Government to be passing Liberal measures, only to have them thrown out or mutilated in the Council, so it will be absolutely necessary to appoint to the Upper House men who will insist on the will of the people being given effect to. This will put the country to greater expense, and the whole cause of it is the madness of the present council. It is to be regretted that they have acted in this way, as the effect of their obstinacy will be to irritate the labor party, and make the breach between the classes wider than ever.