FRANCHISE REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 563, 19 July 1909, Page 7

FRANCHISE REFORM.

EARL GREY'S PLATFORM.

ONE MAN — ONE VOTE — ONE VALUE. CAUCUS RULE.' (By. Toleerapk-Press' AssocliUion.-CoDyriehi.) London, July 16. Ear] Grey, Governor-General of Canada, giving evidence before the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform, said that under tho present system of olection there was no security against the evil of the minority getting ;tho majority of representation., Moreover, it gives excessive power to cranks and faddists.

If Mr. Asquith, continued Lord Grey, was really introducing a Bill based upon a single transferable voto, ho would bo tempted to Tesign the Governor-Generalship of Canada and return to England to support him.

Lord Grey added that proportionate representation is required by the principlo of democracy necessitating government of tho people by the people for the people. The present system is government of tho people by a caucus. As a democrat, he believed in one man one-vote, and every vote of equal value. '

UNEQUAL VOTING. A Royal 'Commission, with : Lord Richard Cavendish as chairman, was appointed in December last to examine the \arious schemes which havo been adopted or proposed in order to secure a fully representative character for properly elected legislative bodies, and to consider whether, and how far, any of them are capable of application' in this country with regard to tho existing electorate. Britain has neither onerman-one-vote nor one-vote-one-value. That ib to say, tho 680 member/3 .of the British Parliament by no: means represent an equal: number of electors. Recent authorities fiirmsh tho following examples—

i Kilkenny is able to. elect an M.P. with 1511 electors;' while all the 35,763 electors of"Wand&worth' art also only:represented' by one M.Pj : A .vote in Wandsworth has only, a' twentieth ;patt, of the value ;of a '.vote-in.. Kilkenny! ' - There are twenty-eix boroughs in Great ■ Bri-tain-1 which ,Knve less than 500 Selectors f each. On,the other hand,' Bath,: with only 8024 electors,.elects .two. ;M.P.'b!'.,' ;s, :...^'.:. ■;.':-. -.. ' ..The largest 'constituency, is the Romford Division of Essex, iwhioh. has 49,035 electors.. There a vote is only worth one-thirtieth of the value ;6f a yoto in Kilkenny -with its 1541 electors.'.';': ■-."Speaking, to a '.'deputation of sixty liberal M.P.'s oV^-voting.-inequalities,'-.Sir. Asquith, Prirad-Minister, said:—"Tou caflnot"; achieve Bdcial; refMn\ worthy' of the'name so. long, as your: pbliticnl machinery is .obsolete in fornv and; stamped with the marks of: inequality and injustice; and ;.does -not • respond readily - and prbmptly and persistently'tb. the'.real will and genuine wishes', of the'.people. ■■ I am : strongly of:opfnion;that-.before the:days of this Parlia-. its career is,not tragically interrupted by some:unforeseen .and ■ iinfnrseeable disaster, Thope.and believe 'that ;we shall not;-indeed,:) complete,.but,we shall take another .long.step in advance .on;.theVroad of.: political- reform .in I rem'oving'ifrom our' electotal system those''grave' anomalies and abuses which render "it l now so inadequate:and untrustworthy:an",exponent of ihe real opinion of, the people." C■:■!:,-.•;.■■-.. . ".