The Westport Times. THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 479, 18 March 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1869.

In recently referring to the subject of registration, and in urging upon householders, and others qualified, the propriety of placing their names upon the electoral roll, it was certainly our intention to have quoted as an argument for their doing so the fact that, in October next, the Superintendent's chair becomes vacant, and that the opportunity of the district returning a Superintendent allied with its interests is an opportunity which should not be neglected. If we did not then quote this argument, it was an omission ; and we are indebted to our correspondent "Majority," whose letter appears in another column, for now suggesting the subject. " Majority" suggests that the Goldfields have the power—and, having the power, should exercise it to return a Superintendent of their own choice, by a majority of such numbers as would overwhelm the voters of " Nelson and its suburbs." He shows that while " Nelson and its suburbs " cannot have more than 2000 or 3000 electors, if so many, the West Coast population should include fully double that number, the bulk of the population on the Coast consisting, as is well known, of adult males, and most of them possessing the frauchise. He goes, of course, upon the assumption that the possession of a miner's right or a business license is a sufficient qualification, and it was our impression that, in assuming this, he was correct. It would certainly, at first sight, appear anomalous if the franchise exercisable for the election of a member of the Provincial Council or of the General Assembly did not include also the Provincial Superintendency, and, as far as can be remembered by those whom we esteem to be authorities on the subject, it has been the practice in other Provinces for miners and license-holders to vote on the occasion of a Superintendency election. The facts, however, seem to be that under the " Miners' Franchise Act, 1860," the miner's right conferred a vote for the election of Superintendent, as well as of members of the House of Representatives and Provincial Councils, but that that Act was repealed in 1862, when the power of voting attheelection of Superintendent was taken away. Miners' rights and business licenses, therebore, now only confer a vote for the House of Representatives or for Provincial Councils. That being the case," Majority's" belief that this district contains within itself the power of deciding the Superintendent's election is a delusion. The election would be dependent entirely upon the votes of those whose names appear on the electoral roll, and in that particular " Nelson and its suburbs " hare, no doubt, a considerable advantage over the South-

west G-oldfieldß, their electoral rolls being of longer standing, more carefully attended to, and consequently more complete. We have a thorough conviction, however, that if the freeholders, lease-holders, and householders within the boundaries of the South-west G-oldfields would but take the trouble to place their names upon the roll, though they might not in point of numbers be able altogether to overwhelm Nelson, there would certainly be a very close " tie " between the two divisions of this at present divided Province. With this prospect, is it necessary to say a word to provoke to a more active attention to their duties those who possess, or may possess, the privilege of the franchise ? However certain or hopeful we may be of securing Separation, its achievement is sufficiently contingent and future to encourage us as a community to make the best use we can of our present form of representation; and, with a Superintendent elected from this district, apart altogether from the consideration mooted by " Majority," of the Provincial Council sitting at Westport, we should not be surprised to find that Nelson, not Westport, would be the keenest in claiming what it now condemns —Separation. " Majority's " remarks are, in one particular, somewhat liable to misapprehension. It is not, as might be implied from the reading of his letter, necessary that the Superintendent should be first a Provincial Councillor. The office is open to anyone, and there might be discovered, in October, just as well as now, some latent genius—"some village Hampden, who, with dauntless breast," would dispute its honors with him whom (rather than spoil the quotation) we may be permitted to designate the "little tyrant" of Nelson. There is no doubt, however, that the acquaintance with Provincial affairs which might be acquired during six months' probation as a Councillor would be of material service to an incipient Superintendent ; and it is for the constituency and candidates to consider whether there is not in " Majority's " theory something which is worthy of being reduced to practice. It cannot surely be that Saturday's election is to evoke only one solitary and solicited candidate, when there is presented such a glorious opportunity of educating our future Superintendent, and of enabling that emblem of "afflicted worth," Mr Oswald Cuvtis, "to retire to peace."