The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1908. SECOND BUNKUM.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13713, 30 September 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1908. SECOND BUNKUM.

The country is indebted to Mr Massejr • and the seventeen members .who, voted with him in the House of Representatives vesterdav afternoon, for the additional opportunity they afforded Ministers exhibiting the paltry rags of argument in .whifch,. their miserable founding, the Second Ballot llill, shivers under the chilling winds ot conunonsenfie and «■ perienee. The Premier protested, ae he has protested so often without convincing any but his blindest partisans, and noteven all of iheniv' that - his object in br'nging the Bill down was to ensure - majority rule. It lias *■ proved against him time and again tlw»t tho second ballot <loes not ensure majority rule. It ensures only the rule of the majority of that minority of electors who go to the second :ballot, <;o that very ' often tfoe successful candidate at the second ballot may be elected with fewer votes than ' were, polled by any of the leading: candidates at. the first ballot; If Sir Joseph Ward wanb to ensure majority rule, why cannot he .deviw some sehenJe which will elio't- tho. will of a majority of the electors in each constituency, instead of importing the Gentian system which enables the Kaiser 1 to flout the will pf the people «6 it is flouted election after election. But even ' assuming—what is contran- to all the experience there is to guide us—that 1 the .»econd bailor does ensure majority rul?, what a spectacle we have in the sight oi a Premier declaiming about majority rule in the same bivath an he moves to. disagree with an amendment ihitde by the Legislative Council in tta Bill wth thd very object of preserving the identical ' principle which the Bill k preuumfed to preserve. When the measure' was in, committee of tln> House, the Premier ac* 1 oepted a provision that a candidate' • heading tlie poll afc the fitet ballot* bv 500 vo«fe • should < be; deemed to have eecured <uv absolute majority even though in fact he had no» dune so. For instance, if 5000 voted in a votistituencv, WCO voting f«K. A, 900 for B« <u»d 700 for C„ not- on a • of the candidates wouhf have un absolute" majority, and according to the Premier's', principle of majority rule, thetv should ( be a second ballot between A ami I>. But because ; A h:i<i «etuW>d 800 VnUa more than irs nearest opponent,• the Premier is willing to regard him as « majoiity jeprcsriitative ;though in fact lie ,

is a minority representative. C-ould absurdity ro further ? The legislative Council i w:ognif*d llA*: ahstirdirjr slid rhe IVII by striking out that provision .so as to preserve the alleged principle of the abortion. Yet berc> tht democratic knight, with the string of lettern to which the faithful memtar for ; Wautaki wi'h Mlow-tWling made koidA •■ obtW'quioHs referent at the presentation of■the caridlo-stiekis last night—this democrat* tic knight, we sav, protests in onebreath that Ik? h* contending for majority rul*, aiul yet quarivls with the Council for in- [ Kistiug that the nmjoiity mast always b» a majority ami not some tinny* a minority. Jf mukes one wok to iwui tite canb villi : which the humbug of the whole thing ia supported by nfen wlios# de»»<it> and words sully." th<* nam*' of'liberty' tuul democracy. Wo Ktiv nothing now of «he restrictions that aw placed upon tht l newspa per# between the two ballots. We have said before that i*-w»jt»por* m»v wvll ceaseto defend the liberties nf (how who prefer shuokhit in fn-edom, and if the of Xew Zmiand sit down under thia Second liallot Hill, they are unworthy uftha rights that huve Iwn wait for llritkk subjects by tlx* sturdy chntnp'onx of freedom in bygone yrut*. 'J'!** electors of this colony liave> now to defend thtouselves. The I'tew* may defy the law, and nm- incur financial loss for it* de-

liaiit-o, but uitieii fhe themsfiw* in? determined to r<-niiui! in full eion of nil llnir jHiiiticid ajtrf pr»« viK-gC's, no conteinjit of itn unjust law on Jhe jKirt of th<p l v r«m* will Ik* of any avail. WV thejefmv a>k the jxople (a juit rm OIK? Mtlf tin? <l«»stru(*!i<»n o[ th«' liberty <*f the I'res* in Xi»w 2<<-;i!au<i. I.'*: ;i 1h» thought, if iw«i| tit?, i h.ii thr I'r«*j» Ki i l»*» ' jjviHor* nni]H'' wlm-h Mr Ki*lier---iiii exjw-rt in l'<4iu> v.,m lifiv ;inu such like product*; of the mitul -uouM hav<» (lie jjublic In-licvr, and irt ii* jttu//bug therefore Ixs ii|t|t!auiit!<}. But atw th»? {xople u tiling t«> tliiii ihey then-peiv** »»h<n>ld Ih> imi%/.le<t a* well that dur ng th<? liti.ii tif their ] cut in men 13 rj--1 lat-V rdlOUld lx- litllTtl). on jum of jx'iiiilsi***. «|«<H Ihe merit* of thr tw<> •.uiiinliitvn between whom they hiive ()I t ; Asv thfy MBjwd th.it tbfv t,m >»o gulM by i>i)< b inn*. JMPt-nt Hlbhl*h t»« tin" »i>liil'S|fy «i<-t tip by the |rarn<'<! of lwi\r«*ett it )>»««<•• of litigation u!i <lt Mil) judit-r, ailil an flfiJ»«>n wliii-h h;i* loched »h« M-<.'ot)d b.i|f«»t if tbot*} MTffc aliv aiiitiujjy, j: «mt!<i that no lavrytv could a<Jdr»,v. juc v «| win tlur. m<>rtt« of contending j) wl ,}, f "h< ii Vet'-din-It*, (h<> «■«•# ti»'- hi'h uho'hrr. lit how uttf jit*, tw :s ; {■* that how <»tir •'ln'lion* nrr to Im (it'i'xtnl'