POLITICAL TORTURE

Shannon News, 13 November 1925, Page 2

POLITICAL TORTURE

—4 BEING FORCED TO LISTEN, TO SPEECHES.

"A correspondent of. the. 'Morning Post makes the suggestion that no one should be allowed to vote at an election • who had not attended one or more oC his candidate's meetings. This looks to mc dangerously like an aavocacy of torture," writes Robert l,ynd, in a humorous vein. "It would be a lamentable thint, if Engnnd, the birthplace of democratic/freedom, were to bo the first coVmtry to make listening to the speeches of Parliamentary 1 ," compulsory. I confess frankly I hcic \ are few causey for which I should be :^Ulngto^to.Baol.butlhadratt OT be S in gaol than listening to the ,

speeches of ni"» or 1/-:'. '■■"■ the :>cc;h;: who stand for Parlianxnl. "I do not mind voting for a man who happens to hoid the. same opinions as myself, but if I heard him expounding my opinions from a platform I should only bep;:n to doubt them, and I should probably end by voting on the other side. "Men on,j women would never have fought for the vote, or made such that it might involve compulsory atsacrifices for it if they had foreseen tendance at public meetings. Ido nor believe that the countrymen of Pym and Hampdien will ever submit to such a tyranny. They risked their lives rather than pay taxes. They would resist wilh equal firmness the odious suggestion t» force them to listen to the .speeches of candidates for Parliament."