The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1889.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2604, 21 March 1889, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1889.

I Equal nnd exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or , political.

The present recess has been one of unusual freedom from political stir and speculation. The whole colony has seemed, with one consent, to have set aside all party feeling and the consideration of debateable public questions in order to enter upon the more tangible and profitable work of rebuilding the fortunes of the country with the returning tide of prosperity. The policy of retrenchment, public and private, has had a very marked effect on New Zealand, for its lastiiiggood. Whilst silver and building "booms" have been running their febrile course in Australia, leaving in their track results as socially and commercially disastrous as the drought has been physically, this colony has kept itself free from tin; contagion of the former, and nature has given it immunity from the latter. The

people of this colony have steadily , been rehabilitating their position and making the best use of thegreai advantages they possess. In sayin<i this much it must not be undorstoot that the colony hus now entirel) recovered from its past excesses, oi that the work of effecting the neces sary economies in our public system has been completed. This is not the case. It will be many years before we can. obliterate the traces of our late extravagant policy, ot diminish the heavy taxation which our hugo indebtedness renders absolutely obligatory. The full measure of economy and the simplification of the state machinery demanded by the country have not yet been carried out. Now that the time for the re-assembling of the Colonial Parliament is approaching, attention is again being directed to some of the main political issues that will occupy the mind of the Legislature. Amongst these questions will be the very important ones of the reduction of the number of members in the Lower House and a reform iu the representation. The former has been provided for by an Act which should come into force nb the termination of the present Parliament or prior, in case of a dissolution. Although there has been no change in the opinion of the country with regard to this Act since it was passed, there will be, in all probability, an organised attack made upon it by a section of the House in order to procure its repeal, and thus defeat one of the chief and most praiseworthy movements the people have made iu the cause of economy and

reconstruction. Closely allied with this question of reduction of members is the other of representation. Fewer members would mean enlarged country constituencies, leaving the city representation to be specially provided for so that they do not acquire :i preponderating power. Wider elector ates should produce a wider choice of candidates and the return of more superior men than we can now boast of. This lust object would be obtained by altering the system of election under our representative institutions. They are founded on the democratic principle, that science of government which " comes of the people, for the people, and by the people." This wise principle Sir John Lubbock says has tailed, the reason being, not from any fault in the principle but because the principle has never been truly applied. What is desired, or what is generally understood to be the object of our representative systoiu, is to secure the control of affairs in the hands of the majority, to the exclusion of the minority. As a matter of fact even this object is seldom or never obtained, and we find that in reality the minority rule. A distinguished American statesman illustrates this in the . following manner:—"The Government itself, is virtually, under the control of the majority of the dominant party, for the time, instead of the majority of the whole community. Thus, the Government becomes the government o£ a minority instead of a. majority—a minority, usually, a»d under the most favourable circum&tar.Ges, of not much more than one-fourth of the whole community." John Stuart Mill, whilst agreeing that, under democratic systems', the majority of lh« people should prevail avar the minority, auks the question forcibly -.--" But does it follow that the minority should have no representatives at all ? Because the majority ought to prevail over the minority, must the majority have all the votes, and the minority none f { Is jt necessary that thn minority should iw»fc even be heard ? Nothing but habit and old association, iau reconcile any re-aeon- 1 ibie being to the needless inj jsfclce. In a r&ally equal democracy every, , Dr any, ss&}tion would be re- 1 presented, not disproportionately, j mt proportionately, A majority j

of tin. , , electors would always hi I'd a majority of the represntitivcs; lint a minority of the electors would always have a minority of the representatives. .Man for man, they would be as fully represented >is the majority. Unless they arc, there is not equal government, but a government of inequality and privilege ; one part of the people rule over tlie rost."

The question to be submitted to Parliament and pooplo will be, how to remove tho present system of renresenUilion so as to secure absolute equality for both majority and minority whilst preserving the principle of government by the majority of tho country. The answer to the question is said to be t'ouud in what is termod Proportional Representation—a modification of the Hare system —in which the constituencies are enlarged, and the whole voting , powor of the electors is utilised to form tho quota on the basis of which the candidates are elected. What tho proposed system is wo will describe in a future issue.