The Evening Star WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1887.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 202, 30 August 1887, Page 4

The Evening Star WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1887.

For tho cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, Tor the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

The persistent touting for votes which is proceeding on every side just now in connection with the various political contests should be put an end to bylaw. It is a plain infringement of the spirit of the Ballot Act to ask any man how he intends to record his vote, and we know as. a matter of fact that the terrorism which secret voting was in-' tended to prevent is exercised through the medium of the canvass for support. A worthy English Dean, whose strict .orthodoxy is beyond question, ad. vised the electors in his district not long ago that when it was a question with a man between losing his employment and promising to vote in a manner contrary to his conscience, he was justified in using some dissimulation. We are not clear about the unimpeachabilty of the ethics thus propounded, but we have no doubt in our mind about the proper course for a man to pursue who has given a promise which he afterwards sees clearly to be an unwise one, and against the interests of his country. Of two ; evils we must always choose the least, and to tell a lie, a right-down whopper, would be a smaller offence than to commit a gross breach of trust and sell one's country by doing an act which a man's conscience tells him is contrary to the public interests. But to falsify a pledge to vote by no meana implies even a " white lie." It is only when a man promises with the deliberate intention of breaking his word that non-per-formance merits the application of the obnoxious epithet. Even such a promise, according to the Dean, may be broken with impunity when it has been wrongfully extorted through fear of evil consequences, andthisview of a promise given through fear is a strictly legal one. A promise, however, may be made in good faith, and a change of circumstance or opinion afterwards render it a duty to break and not to fulfil the promise. All electoral pledges must be considered as conditional and subject to such changes of view. The true remedy, however, is to include personal touting among the things prohibited in connection with elections. This would be a boon alike to the candidates and the electors; the former would be delivered from considerable expense which, in many cases, is so much money thrown away, and the latter would be left to the independent exercise of his judgment. In this election, as in those of past years, we have acted strictly on the principle of giving all the candidates equal fair-play. We hold that they have a right to let their views go fully and fairly before the public and go through the crucial test of categorical examination, and that while the candidate is thus endeavouring to substantiate his claim to the position which he seeks, the judgment of the elector should be held in suspense. To deny him this opportunity of making good his case is most unfair. Every man who comes up for a public verdict is entitled to ask that both sides shall be fully heard before he is adjudged. This, wo take it, is the right course for a newspaper as well as an elector to adopt. But, a time must come for making a choice, and that time is rapidly approaching. It is our intention before the day of polling to pass the several claimants under review on the merits of their

past public services and the policies they have submitted for the approval of the electors.