Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 5632x7680 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

THE INSULT TO
ELECTORS.
The Legislative Council has
brought itself into, further and
deeper discredit by its secretly-
organised manoeuvre to avoid a
gujllidl. UiUUWUU. ouniu UI bllUp9
who usually find excuses for the
class prejudices and political ex
cesses of the existing Upper
House recognise that on this oc
casion an , egregious blunder has
been committed. Fearful of the
effect on the public mind, they
urge a hasty, if , not a dignified,
retreat; Others who recklessly
advised the Council to manipulate
the electoral system in contempt
of electors are now apparently
overcome by. their own audacity,
or stupidity; and are. significantly
siient'It'- ls all to the good- that
the Conservative \\cabal .which
engineered .the ; politically , unprin
cipled scheme to temporarily con
vert; an- elective .into, a nominee
Chamber, is ' how ' completely - iso
lated. The Government, ' as was
expected, is unequivocal, in. its at
titude and detcrinincd in its pur
pose. The Acting Premiers ^de
nunciation of the -Council's plan
to disfranchise' electors as"anout-
"rage" is severe official criticism,
but it is. apt and J list. It -is re
freshing to note that the recently-
formed Country-Liberal section of
the U.A.P. is equally downright in
its criticism and has declared- it
self without waiting to consider
"consequences" in the party poli
tical sense.. Thus the possible
supporters in the Assembly of :the.
Council's sudden assault on long-
established electoral practices are
reduced to the right wing, section
of the Conservative -party." Even
those members, it is hoped, will
refuse to countenance an insolent
proposal which abrogates the cen
tral principles ' of representative
government and repudiates the
foundational, rights of citizen
ship.
The temper of the country can
best be reflected in the Assembly
by an emphatic refusal to con
sider the council's scheme except
for the puipose of its complete,
speedy and unanimous rejection.
Other features of the Bill to re
adjust the boundaries of provinces,
though challenging to Liberal-min
ded members, are for the present
subsidiary to the need for an un
mistakably clear affirmation of Par
liament's fidelity to essential prin
ciples. Discussion need not be
prolonged, because in . any . Cham
ber adhering to the democratic
faith there Is nothing to" discuss.
Two features of the proceedings
in - and outside the Council pro
voke the keenest public resent
ment. Indignation at the method
devised to save the seats of sit
ting members is accentuated by
the furtive manner in which the
plot was conceived and- hatched.
For the plan itself, no shred of
justification can bp found - and . in
it no tjrace of principle can be
detected. The provinces are to
be recast; scores of thousands of
electors . will be transferred from
one constituency to another. At
least one existing ' province will
be eliminated and a new .electoral
district in another part of the
State created. , That done, the
position will be that present mem
bers, if they wish to; continue in
public life, must . necessarily sub
mit themselves' to the changed
body of constituents; But the
Council as now constituted, with
its inner cliques exercising wholly
disproportionate, influence and its
record of extreme partisanship
in the interests of one class, pro
foundly dislikes the prospect of
a general election. Therefore it
proposes that, although the elec
toral map may be redrawn, and
electors may be freshly grouped,
present members, as though by
divine right, will simply come into
a new political inheritance. To
the hierarchy of Toryism if mati
ters not who members represent,
or what the views and .wishes of
electors may be. When Palmer-
ston was awarded a seat in the
House of Commons the proprietor
of the borough stipulated that he
should remain completely tin-
... .
knotviv' to his constituents. De
mocracy has acquired a different
meaning since then except in odd
corners, one of which is the Vic
torian Legislative Council. Only
in that musty atmosphere could
present day .politicians propose
unabashed that they represent
for three years, masses of people
who are complete political stran
gers and who have been given no
opportunity of voting either for or
against them.
Presented frankly for open dis
cussion, this astounding scheme,
belonging electorally to the first
quarter of last century, might
have been regarded merely as the
inspiration of a few die hard, last
ditch Tories who are totally in
capable of understanding the de
mocratic instinct. But nothing so
politically straightforward occur
red. . Public objection, for over
whelming reasons, lo the scheme
proposed is accompanied by gene
ral disgust at the manner in
which it was prepared and car
ried. The secretly convened cau
cus of this allegedly detached
House of Review, the obviously
pre-arranged curtailment of de-
bate fn the Chamber and the
silent vote given by a phalanx of
counillors all suggest a conspi
racy to "accomplish in- the ' dark
something of which at least some
members were either ashamed or
afraid. Those who hoped that
the public could be deluded by
a clumsy attempt to pretend that
nothing important was involved
merely betray their unfitness to re
present a community which they
do not understand. The incident
gives fresh impetus to the move
ment for genuine reform of the
Legislative Council, so that there
will be no further abuse of con
stitutional privileges and the bi
cameral system will be restored
to public respect and confidence.
In the meantime it falls lo the
Assembly to vindicate those basic
principles which the council has
flagrantly violated for no higher
motive than the political security
of its present members. A un
animous rejection by thg popular
Chamber of the miserable device
which is. an insult to every elec
tor would be the most fitting re
joinder, expressing with appro
priate spirit and. emphasis the in
tense public indignaton ..provoked
by any self-interested tampering
with electoral principles. Unless
the Upper House thereupon with
draws, a battle will be joined
which will .be worth the fighting.
$