The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1892.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3082, 16 April 1892, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1892.

Equal and exact justice to all men. Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or . politic*!.

Sir William Fox by his address at the opening of tlie National Association rooms in Auckland did good service. He took for his text, " The anomaly of the present system in large towns of voting for Parliamentary representatives." To our mind the amalgamation of the electorates is a distinct injustice to all who live without their boundaries. Parliament has enacted that every adult male shall have a vote, but as Sis William pointed out, every city elector has a say in the olection of three members. This is of course an absolute bar to the representation of minorities. If there •were three electorates as formerly the minority would be afforded a chance of seeing one of the seats. To adopt a system which shall give the lesser number a chance of representation has been for years and still remains an unsolved puzzle Some modified form of tho Hare system approaches nearer than any other to its solution. Tho union, however, of the city electorates is a step quito in the opposite direction. The Ministry have intimated that chey purpose amending the present Act in order to, not only limit evory man to one vote, but in adi dition that he shall only oxercise the privilege for the district in which he resides. The effect of this will be of course to do away with any property qualification whatever, and debar a man from voting for a district in which lie may be much more largoly interested than in that whero he resides. The object in view is manifest, the Radicals feol tolerably safe as regards the city electorates, backed as they are by the Trades Union organisations. A few more votes therefore ou the other side are of little moment. On the other hand, there is a considerable number of propertyholders in country districts who rftsid" in tho rutins, who if they

olected to have their names on tlio roll for the electorate whom their property is situated would prove a serious obstaclo to the attainment of radical ends. This would he inoro particularly the case whero an electorate is made up of country and borough voters. It is in tho boroughs where tho radicals are to bo found ; they have no property, and are not given to considering tho interests of those who have a greater stake in the country than to amass money by trade or live by tho wages consequent on its prosecution. These men will support any measure that will give thom temporary prosperity; with the view of following in tho footsteps of that, too large a number who liavo deserted the ship when danger threatened. On the other hand, the pi operty-holders for the most part consider themselves, and aie in fact, permanent fixtures to prosper or otherwise with their country. Those latter are practically disfranchised in tho cities, and the proposal of the Ministry, if given effect to, will lessen the legitimate voting power which they have hitherto exercised. To quote Sir William Fox : "If the country was to have manhood suffrage, it should be based on proper principles — one man one vote, aud not in some cases one man three votes and three representatives." Considering the present state of the electoral law in this and other colonies it is not matter for wonder that there should be agitation in the direction of securing a second vote for poperty holders, who, as we have pointed out are fixtures in the country and more likely than birds of passage to " look forward." Mr J. G. Wilson has advocated the principle in an address delivered at Palmerston North. The Lyttelton Times has noticed the fact in an article, and as an argument against the proposition asserts that the majority of those who have no property are quite as intelligent and capable of political judgment as those who have. We have no desire to dispute the statement, and the fact that thoy have not hampered themselves with property may in a degree bo accepted as coroborative evidence, but we take it that our contemporary would scarcely have the hardihood to assert that this equality is a reason why each of the non-propertied class if resident in one of four cities should be endowed with two additional votes. There appears at present little doubt but that the votes at the disposal of the Ministry will enable them to amend the Electoral Act in the direction indicated. It is, however, to be earnestly hoped that the Opposition will move an amendment to again divide the city electorates and appeal so strongly to the sense of justice of the majority as to prevail upon them to vote for it.