PROVINCIAL ELECTORAL COMMITTEE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10835, 19 August 1898, Page 4

PROVINCIAL ELECTORAL COMMITTEE.

One of the most hopeful organisations we have yet had in Auckland is the Auckland, Provincial Electoral Committee, which has been recently and unostentatiously launched, for the purpose of looking after the electoral rights and privileges of the citizens Si of resident,i the Provincial disft It is obe frankly owned that t w; at the instance,. and mainly in the interests, of those who have a rooted conviction that the existence of the , present Government is a menace to. the public ;good,' 1 thai 'its lepslatu>n generally., is injurious to all classes, wd that it is a Public duty and the private interest of all classes to labour in everylegitimate^.way. to

- -■ ■ ... I . compass its overthrow. Th«r« j g therefore 110 concealment but a f avowal'of its objects. Organisation and combination of the completes '£% kind characterise the movements oi those who aro determined to maintain i'*'■ the existing state of things, while|l?P either indift'erenco or indolence, or at - C? least apathy, seems to-weigh on every $ movement of thoso who are earnest * enough in their wishes for a change' 1 There is no doubt that the electoral rolls are habitually stuffed, and ofteilHl with bogus names, in the interests of - l|? the cliques and parties that are con- \> '-\ cerncd So maintaining tho existing |';f regime; and it is equally sure, that ' the names of persons entitled to poliifffl tical rights aro systematically re- v,V: moved from the registei, with reason or without reason, because they are not of the right colour. That our whole electoral system is rotten from -:4?| stem to root is known to everybody, and that some of the paid offi! cers of the country entrusted with electoral duties are freqtiently so dishonest as to deliberately manipulate the electoral ma-. chinery with party objects. This wo ' all know, and knowing it, it is a shame x v that no effective steps have been long' -Iff a«o taken to correct the evi's. One" }},) of tho main purposes of this new o;.' • ganisation is to watch she rolls, to |§|| see that they are not tampered with or illegally stuffed, and alio to see that every honest citizen that has a '>|ll right to be enrolled as an elector Ift should have his or her name on the i register. Other duties there are, but; sM; this is the chief one; and if this j|f Electoral Committee fulfils the pro; mise of its birth it will be one of the • OS most practically useful we have had " ,v/"~ for many a day. Further than this, youth and energy are engaged in the ;? f conduct of the affairs of the Aucfe r land Provincial Electoral Committee, 7r? ; and the plan of operations is drawn ,• on lines so practical and yet so simple . / > that if there is only co-operation on ' " ■ the part of those who ought to lend ■ their help, the results in the way of vt| honest politics will be very great. We ' notice with pleasure that talk is not' the essential factor, but work. The * % laying down of principles and the gift ■" > of gab may be for others, but the fixing of planks and the building of V i fighting platforms, so dear to political •. windbags, do not appear in this pro- <■' gramme. But if there is anyone who' |f|j really desires to give honest service ~ in the cause of sound politics and , , honest government, he will find a V l ',' sphere for useful practical service in the work of this committee. As will be seen from notice in another |g| column, the committee holds its meeting this afternoon, and if anyone .ji that knows the omnipotent virtue of ;.,l. organisation, and believes that it is , what is wanted now, in order to save the country from going from bad to s'-f; worse, we cordially urge him to at/tend that meeting and see what share} of the service he can. take.