CASTING VOTE.—No. 2.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3117, 13 July 1867, Page 6

CASTING VOTE.— No. 2.

To the Editor of the Daily Southern Caoss. Sib, — It was once reported in New Zealand that a Speaker in another place said, ' 'I give my catting vote for the measure in this caie gladly, because in my own opioion I approve the measure." Now this shows thab that gentleman foreiaw there would be cases in which his casting rote ought to be girea contrary to his own opinion on the question, and therefore that he recognised the principle that great changes should not occur upon a slight majority. But as this vote then promoted a great change, the true principle was violated to gratify a single private wish instead of the Parliamentary principle, that matters should remain undisturbed until another debate should occur to determine a true majority of the representatives. It wat also wrong' in relation to acknowledged Government practice, wherein, when on a bill or motion 'of importance ihey do not ' *arry a majority beyond a small portion of the House, they rejeot the bill or motion on the ground of the majority not being sufficient to r carry 'reasonable weight. For example, a case is Quoted on a vote of £100,000 being atiked~ for' coast fortifications, at a ' time when the French 'were lining foe opposite coast for a premeditated invasion;' ''The Speaker, notwith-' ■tanding the apparent urgency; ; gave immediately his negative' vote without any hesitation"; and<thnsno 'works could be lundertaken until'' next year, when the Minister had obtained a, vote. In the former case, the Speaker in giving bis reasons showed that he gave his personal and party vote, and not a Speakei'g | vote of conservatism when, without majority. Bat the casting vote of a chairman of committee is different from that of a Speaker; because '■ the chairman is allowed, and moptly does debate the merits of the question, and hjs vote is simply im-, peded in order not to create a tie j but when it becomes a, tie without him, then his vote is bus* tamed upon his previous argument or opinion. But all committee.rdecisions.are reviewed by the House,, and may be reVersc.d, .( But a Speiker's vote cannot Jw, fevjewed'in that smmob, nor o*n he i*y junking.:

' calculated to Have influence on the votes in deter"mining the merits of the question in any subsequent ssl;age,s s1;age, if there .be any to And thus on a Clause of a bilLoje proviso he ought to avoid stating 1 reasons which 'might influence opinions on other parts of the bill. I Now in money matters, as phown above, in no case (unless there is some previous proceeding of the House showing a strong majority to warrant) ought » Speaker on his sole < determination to cause the spending money, but to throw out the question to ba dealt with by members another time : he not being ' there as umpire to decide their disputes, but to prevent uncalled-for legislation or doubtful expenditure. But in money matters the chairman's or the committee's vote may be recommitted by any dissentient or previously absent member, and therefore carries no doubtful decision or evil result. Should a Speaker's casting vote carry a law, it might come into operation against the more deliberate opinion of a true majority arising from absence or reconsideration, but if stopping a law it could only retard ita operation until there was a deoided majority for its enactment. Members who are absent, besides the effect w^ich^their presence would have in forming , a true majority, rendering .the Speaker's vote unnecessary,' should remember , they ar« always concluded with the majority ; arid there* fore it is useless and improper to-«ay-that if they had been there they would have voted otherwise, because it is their duty to be' there, and especially on mdney [questions. It is, not sufficient to attend mirely when they hope to obtain a money vote ; bun to! be there' toTp/oventlnoney' votes being obtained where there ia not .a true.majority approving of the expenditure, in ,orden f tha't other , works may not be deprived of proper funds ; because in aH cases the j?ork M mu9t bd supposed 'worth the money, oritia thrown" away ; aijd tfie true guardianship is not-in preventing mppey^being nsed,, but to take care.the whole is properly J uaede as -most beneficial to wtiole" province." 1 In a full Council money is seldom misspent, and members being in attendance is the trtie and only proper check ronr on' each'otheri At the same .time they ' should remember' they cannot appropriate more money than the acknowledged probable sum of ways and means on the credit side. In the case cited against me, in which it was alleged I might, but did not, ,give my casting T vote itti favour of a section of my constituency, had it been true— *which itjwas not— there,*wa9 a resolution of ] Council, which" was binding on me as a rule, that no aid should be given without an equal amount from the applicants requiring such road, and an amount was then already on the estimates for such purposes. I could not then, had I desired, violate tbit resolution. The Council alone could/set aside a previous resolution. JNow there comes out of this question that those who took my place upon the submission to the dictal c of these electors, ostensibly and by fair implica iion, stand pledged, in any case affecting their intei est, to give the casting vote in their favour, and no ; governed by the usual consideration of a Sp saker's vote. At the best interpretation he must brpak the implied obligation or his duty to the whole province the moment he steps into the chair. Ai d these people should have remembered that in co isequence of these members being put into the eh lir the Council had 'given another memberto that co istituency. A member may promise a constituency not to take office, but he is not at liberty to refuse th > chair if the Council vote him to be there ; nor c* 1 he, without a dereliction of duty to the whole pr tvihee, promise a priority of his vote to their so b interest over th*t of the whole province. Had an j such condition been proposed to me, I could not hare -acceded thereto, nor wouls I ever lend ny 'self to take any duty not consistent with that of 8p 3*ker, while so acting— which, be it remembered, ii no ; a mere temporary office during session, but fof a pc iod detejminable only with the Parliament, and no ; at pleasure, but entailing a' liability to exercise temporarily other executive duties, in ca.se of vacancy. And to. this I adhered from principle, all hough not receiving the higher salary since con* sic ered justly due for an isolation of those duties, an no ; consistent with minor departments. Therefore X i ever allowed tb,e, true independence of that offioe to be tarnished or k disco!oured, being the only ground uj an which an honourable designation could be based, nor would I ever have consented to take such position of Speaker under any implied intimidation for th s finger of scorn to point to the word corruption wiatten on my lips. — I am, $£•» WjLtIAM POWDITCEj,