Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-03-19
English Elections.

Under the present scheme of distribution
of parliamentary Seats many an insignificant
little village in England sends as many rep
resentatives to Parliament as other districts
comprising hundreds of thousands of inhablt-
ants. Thus, Southwark is borough en-
bracing within its limits a large portion of
the shipping wharves of the Thames and the
manufacturing industries of the metropolis,
and comprising quarter of million of in
habitants Ii is allowed two parliamentary
seats Truro, little Cornish constituency
of some ten thousand, and one of the most
backward and poorest places in England,
sends also two members to the Commons.
Many large and important centres OF industry
are not allowed representation at all. Former
reasons known only to themselves, the bor-
oughs to be represented in parliament, and
the number of seats to be apportioned to
them respectively. In England, representa-
ton by population has never been recognized.
Instead there is representation by favoritism
or representation by selection. Until lately
the advocacy of such principle as repre-
sentation by population would have been
deemed, 10y the majority, an enormity
fraught with disaster Year by year, how
ever, as the number of Englishmen, travel
ling in, or returning from a sojourn in, the
United States increases, representation by
population becomes more widely known and
more vigorously advocated. The reform bill
effected redistribution Of seats, but it was
very imperfect and partial, and another re-
distribution is already plank of the next
liberal platform.
The preliminary methods Of nomination, Or
selection of candidates, differ as widely from
ours. There is no party caucus in England
to adopt platforms and nominate candidates.
1t is the business of the managers of each
party in Parliament to so arrange matters
that suitable candidate shall always be
ready, in every constituency worth contest
ing. Many constituencies are, by mutual
implied consent, left uncontested. Where
the liberals possess an unassailable majority,
and are united on their candidate, the field
is abandoned to them hy their opponents,
and rice versa In some constituencies the
cost and trouble of contest are so great that
both parties experience difficulty in discover
ing any one wealthy and ambitious enough
to enter the lists, and the managers are call
ed upon to exercise great tact in batting the
seat with these attractions which political
parties always have it in their power to offer
in the way Of provisions for the future by
some lucrative appointment. No party meet
ings are held no expression of public senti-
ment is asked for or given. Whenever the
time comes the first public intimation the
vided for them is the announcement by ad-
vertisemcnt or leader in the party papers,
and placards on the walls, that so-and so
offers himself to contest the constituency
that he processes the principles of his party,
and that he hopes ON future occasion to
meet his supporters, in order to explain his
political views. The general public never
know and never inquire how n candidate
comes before them, so long us his title to
represent the party he claims to appear for is
unchalenged. Once in the lists the methods
of clectioneering, including in many cases
most lavish and shameless use of money in
the purchase of voters, do not vary very
materially from the American processes.