The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1977, 17 November 1863, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1863.

lUCEO SON UKO. "If I lirv« been extinguished, yet there riso A thousaud beacons from the spark 1 bore."

Tub Government has yielded to the oppressed wishes of a number of members of the House, and promised to bring in a bill to amend the representation of the whole colon}'. We do not happen to know why the Government thought fit to alter its views on this point, and we freely confess we are of opinion that its original intention of delaying such a measure for fifteen months or so, was a course more in accordance with a wi->e and moderate statesmanship. It seems probable, however, that the Government consented to the measure, loss because it approved of it, than because it had become evident that a lai'ge amount of ill feeling and suspicion was likely to be produced by its refusal, in the minds of those new members who, having been elected to represent constituencies, recently become wealthy and important, had all the jealousy of their position, mingled perhaps with a little suspicion of its stability, so universally characteristic of les noveaux ric/iesses. A committee has now been appointed, chosen from all the provinces, to report upon the changes necessary in the general representation of the colony. It may be worth while for us to enter very briefly into some explanation of what se*em to us a few of the things which should iufluence their determination on this subject. That nothing will be done from any local motives in a matter such as this, we must take tor granted ; and we think we may safely do so from a consideration of the high standing and character of most of the members of the committee. Nothing, we conceive, could by any possibility be more injurious to the prospects of a great and united country, springing from the provinces of New Zealand, than the paltry wrangling for an extra member or two for some particular locality. The Southern men may rest assured that the North has no deBire now, as she never has shown any desire formerly, to stint them of any claims they might have to representation. Mr. Stafford spoke but the bare unvarnished truth when he indignantly exclaimed against the meanness of the insinuation, that the North would do ro, when in every case of a change in the representation it vas the North that granted that change, and it was entirely in favour of the South that she sc granted it. It is, however, very important that the changes should not be made upon arbitrary grounds ; not because of a false sentiment, but upon a safe and good basis of principle which may admit of being recurred to again with confidence, and applied to future re-adiustments of the New Zealand representation. In addressing the House the other evening on this question, Mr. Fitzherbert alluded to the old idea, of taxation and representation proceeding hand in hand. The notion, we will admit, is an old and plausible one; but, in our opinion, it is a most unsafe one to act on as a general principle. Let us, for a moment, follow it out to its natural results. If taxation is to be the measure of representation, then it is clear that it is wealth, and not population, intelligence, or the capacity for understanding the true ends of Government, that is to be represented. The district that possesses a large and very intelligent population of small farmers say, not possessing as yet much wealth, and therefore unable to meet the expenditure for many luxuries (the commodities which are now as a rule the most heavily taxed, and which in any re-adjustment of the tariff we hope to see still more so), is not to obtain sc large a share of representation as the scattered .-district of flock-masters who monopolize the soil, and gain the means of rolling in taxed luxuries, by a system which discourages ,the subduing ancPreplenishing of the earth. Not does the same principle less apply to the gold digging populations, although the manner of its application is a different one. It is again the wealth that it to be represented, but that wealth it in the hands of men who are in no sense lettleri in the country ; who linow, and, we may add as a rule, who care nothing for iti vranti beyond the region of their owd temporary elay-hole.s. Ought the fact that

such a population as this pays vast sums to the revenue for luxuries, having at tho same time nothing that can be termed a stake in the country; and in a vast majority of instances, knowing and caving nothing of the general prosperity of the colony, where their interests are as confined as their knowledge. The principle enunciated by Mr. Fitzherbert we say sounds well ; but we aflirm it to be wholly unsound. The buying so much grog cannot possibly fit any man to be a voter in the affairs of tho colon)' ; and we can see no difference in principle between tho individual and the constituency. It is just, we allow, that those whose money is to bo spent should have a voice as to its expenditure ; always, however, supposing that they are qualified to form a judgmeut as to what is right as regards tho country. If otherwise, they have no more claim than infants, to assist in ruling that country by representatives. If this principle were once admitted, namely, that the men of the colony who had a bond fide stako in its well-beimr, who wore in fact colonists, should have votes by representatives in its Government, wo do not see how the slightest difficulty could arise, now or hereafter, as to the rep.esentation of the country. A colonist population is not a fluctuating one. It progresses, but it rarely recedes. A goldfields population is essentially a fluctuating one — here to-day, and in the next pi'ovince or colony in a week or two, according to the rumours of great successes. To give a nomadic population of this kind a representation of moro than a very limited character is to place power in the hands of a class which has no power, and may have no will, to use it properly for the good of the colony to which it does not belong. Its vested interests are embraced by a pick and shovel, and its colony is bounded by its clay hole. A liberal scheme, having a population basis, but exclusive of mere wandering aliens, seems to us tho only practicable one, and if well and fairly carried out will do no harm cither to north or south. One di'Sculty, however, it is not well to loao eight of, which was BU.£?£»osted by Mr. Vogol, in the House, that while a large increase in the number of members would bo with di'iiculty met in -this province, it is more than doubtftil whether in Otago any one could be found, or whether it might not be necessary to"""send to Canterbury for a decent member. Who can forget Mr. Vogol s foroible appeal to tho House, when ho a'ssurod them that ho was actually unopposed ?'