The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 975, 21 September 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1878.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. **'♦**■ Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

Electoral reform was one of the watchwords of the present Ministry throughout the recess. Ministers themselves have abaudoned for the present session one ot the three cardinal points of any such reform, numely, affirmation of a principle on which the redistribution of seats at any forthcoming general election shall be baaed. The Assembly lias, it will be seen, shorn electoral reform of a second cardinal point, triennial parliaments, and now there is only before the House that which was perhaps the least needed of the three, the extension of the franchise where m all conscience the possibility of obtaining the right of voting is alieady within tho roach of any industrious man who cares to take

upon himself tho tin ties of citizenship. Indeedwe fiud that the Ministry .^f^^^^nyate member, Dr. Wallis, ' tmnutroductioti of a Bill for shorten- ; ing^te'duratiou of parliament.' The divipbn l|st which we print to-day, i she^ tha|||bhe Bill was thrown out ] by of 24 to 18, a thin house' foj|6he disposal of tho fate of -sp i . 4J jmporxant a measure, a fact which shows at least that if a portion of the Ministerial party voted ' for it, veny little— care was.^ taken by tliem as a whole to - prevent defeat. Aud this is all the ! -move to be regretted, as, throughout. J the colony there is scarcely a difference of Opinion upon this matter, m a young colony the political and social changes T^^ of political opinions are so groat that a parliament elected for five years and representing.public opinion at the time, may be far behind the age \ l6ng- before'^ the five years come round for a ' natural ; dissolution. There is an advantage m bringing representatives and their constituents more often face to face than a five years 'parliament allows, and these triennial 'parliaments would afford this without going to the other extreme, as might be ar--gued m the o\se of annual parliaments, of making representatives mere delegates. We have said that opinion m the colony is generally m. favour of triennial as opposed to ( qain-<|uebhial parliaments^ ipbt jif; ipttblio J opinion jisah ■ argument m favour of the alteration, we might take a wider range and sefe what ; public ; bpinion m other countries and colonies possessed of representative government has brought about.; • To take. these colonies first, we shall find that, m Queensland alone, beside New Zealand, :do quinqueninal parliaments : obtaiu . In the four other colonies of Australia/ and m Tasmania, parliaments ; are of three duration. If ? we look at - the Constitutional Governments Of the' old wbrldi we shall find m one only, that ©f England, a septennial parliament; — 7 nominally septennial, _ but practically, through the frequency »of dissolution, more nearly triennial. In France ; and Italy, the duration of pafliA mentis , .is... fiveu, ; y|ars;j ,;in;' Holland, Belgium^ Portugal . and u Greece, four years, and m Switzerland, Spain,. Sweeden, ! Norway, ' Germany and : Austro-Hungary 1 , ( three years. In America, th'e ; Houses of Representatives ; bfl the '.different States are elected annually, and of Congress biennially, so that, taking the opinion of the world at large m constitution-ally-governed countries, the verdict is m favor of a > shorter duration of Parliament than we now possess* m New Zealand. And, taken m conjunction with the, ballot and with the newly prop sed method of conduct-; ih£ elections contained >': m the * GovcrnmehtTElectoral^Bill before the House, one chief argument against the greater frequency of, general elections is done away with, namely, —that the country - would l be too frequently involved im the excite-' uaent and worry of a general election. As elections; are now conducted, the excitement is, as far as it goes, politically healthy rather than unwholesome. An election is not now the hot and bitter contest that it once was; and, as now conducted, nijre frequent elections, instead of being socially objectionable, would tend to g ye an increased interest m politics,! and, to politically -educate the. elec-' tors, who at such times learn more m a month of the nature, and character, and bearings of important public questions than without them thej are 'likely to do m a year. The time has come, we believe, when the colony is ripe for triennial Parliaments, and the question, though shelved for this session, is one that is. bound jto come to the front again when the House of Representatives next meets. What was needed m electoral reform was the extension of the •franchise — the shortening the duration of Parliament— -and a fair and equitable re distribution of seats. We may get the first m the present session of Parliament, but without the latter very little advantage will be gained.