The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 887, 30 September 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1881.

The Oorrupt Practices Prevention Act has been published—a measure passed to guide candidates out of ways of darkness and into paths of purity and light. Apart from its moral purposes it is also' intended to lessen the expenses of an election. It may achieve the latter object, but experience teaches us that the efforts of our legislators to whitewash themselves by preventive and reformatory enactments lead to but little result, and that each batch of members returned to constitute a new Parliament hare quite as much of the 1 old Adam 1 about them as their prede : cessors.--. If M.H.R's set traps for themselves they manage to evade them as , readily as a professional bicyclist twists and turns amid rows of glass bottles. Under the new Act a candidate may not treat friend or foe on a polling day. to a glass of beer, but up to the polling day he may- soak him in liquor. Any attempt, however, to exercise undue influence on the vote of an elector is punishable, but undue influence is not defined to be treating him to refreshments. .Undue influence is not treating,: an d treating is .not undue influence, therefore the measure is so worded that an astute candidate can drive a coach and four through its clauses. The only persons a candidate may employ as his paid assistants are Ist—a scrutineer for each ballot box, and ono clerk and one messenger for. each polling place. If there be five polling places in a district a candidate could engage fifteen paid servants, quite as many probably as his purse, unless it were a very long one, could stand, A candidate must not pay for any conveyance to carry electors to the: poll. Ho may not provide music for the occasion, or hoist a. flag, or wave a torch. A candidate may advertise in a newspaper, but he may not declare his views through a poster or a handbill. The punishments for breaches' of. the. Act are very severe—disqualification I, as an elector or an M.H.B. for three or five.years.and fines varying from.'£loo to £4OO, being among the penalties;. But this apparent harshness is mitigated by, a proviso that any one prosecuting : a candidate under the A cfc will enter into a recognizance to-the• amount of £100: to. conduct-the prose-; cution with -effect, and pay the deferi.; daiits costs if the latter, be acquitted.. Anyonetherefora who desires to enforce the'penal; clauses, of the. Act must be prepared to risk'the loss of twoubr. .three;.,hundred pounds, The.Gorrupt ■Praofcices ;Preyentioit, Act,' iftakgn iii' its clauses read separately. ,ut• &. formidable measure, but-regarded. :a» a whole it -will; we believe, be. fourjd' 'to'/f.iild'-aj. mothers' milk.'.. Some,

stupid, honest man who seeks legisla/' tive honors rimy be' punished"heavily" 1 by falling- unwillinglyvinto one' : 6f its many mantraps; but the pa.rji»inen ; tary old soldier will he able; to do pretty much as he likes, and work an election after his own'wicked will, without any fear of fines or disqualification. . .' \.,