Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-25


have been three or four and one Of them
Macdonald, late deceased actually
oounseled his constituency of coal miners
to suspend work 30 that GOAL might be-
come scarce and dear, and as conse-
quenoe their wages get raised. The man
seriously and zealously promulgated this
mischievous doctrine in speeches made
oil over the land, in direct violation of
the best known and most universally ad-
initted principals OF human economy.
With such advocates the laborinR man
element in parliament is not likely to
have increase and no doubt Macdonald 8
example will have done something TO re-
tard it. 81. r.
Just now another element is making
attempt to gain foOthold within the
same exalted precinct-one more special
10 the subject Of this letter on rural life
the farmer element. The agricultural
depression, giving farmers a grievance,
has, as already stated, also armed them
with an amount of political power TAX
ing advantage of which four or five of
them have been pitchfoiked into parlia-
ment. Some OF them tenant farmers,
too. But neither has this experiment
proved q brilliant success instead rather
dull, disappointing failure. And 80
will it be, until farmers learn how to
select their best men to represent them.
As it is most Of those they have chosen
are mere noisy chntterers, the product Of
those assemblages possibly the most OBJ
jectless and useless ever known to the
world-known as chambers of agricul-
ture" It need hardly be said that these
farmer members are Of strong conserva-
tive principles, indeed ultra-tory. One
or two of them, supposed to be of liberal
inclining, when candidates for election,
and questioned about their views, were
mute as mice, knowing that to declare
them were to be kept out of parliament.
And now that they are in it, there is no
more heard of their liberalism; instead
their tendency to take the opposite side
every day more and more shows itself.
Wonderfully patriotic they are-yery
Chauvins-in matters OF foreign policy.
especially on the question of American
meat. Importation of this, US farmers
representatives, it is their duty to oppose,
whether it be alive on the hoof or dead
and packed in the ice. Not much con.
cern is it to them how the poor man may
need or fare without it. AS NJ. p, 3 they
mix and mipgle with county society, af
ter a fashion seeming to lose their heads
at finding or fancying themselves part Of
it. And how county society pets and
pats them on the back-these elected
legislators, whom before elected it would
not have deigned to notice, save by the
most supcrcilious of mods!
1t is not likely, however, things stand
ing as they are now, that many Of these
representatives of agriculture and labor
ing interests will ever enter parliament.
For there is bar to their admission.
even more obstructive than that cited by
Mr.. Cobden-money. l do not mean the
money qualification, of 80 much n year
income that being abolished, but the
outlay attending an election. Whether
the candidate succeed or fail, this is
something considerable, mounting up to
many hundreds of pounds even when
the contest is conducted on the most
economic principles and uncorruptedly.
But it rarely is so more generally votes
having to be purchased then it takes as
many thousands to pay the bill. Few
farmers candidates can stand such an ex'
pense, much less those who would repre-
sent labor therefore the money must be
made mp for them by friendly and class
contribution, as i'll several instances it has
been. But contributors to such fund
are prone to become tired of it, especially
with such poor returns as they have
hitherto had for their outlay So the ex-
pertinent is not likely to be repeated on
any large scale,
1t may be wondered that such outlay is
needed and the reason asked. Will not
candidates fame and good name, with
his fitness for the Office, rally around him,
and bring up to the polls, all who are in
terested in his election They who would
put this question can know little of the
Indifference of Englands people, more
especially in the rural districts, as regards
their exercises of the franchise. True, it
would seem otherwise, the very reverse,
election. On the day of it the roads lead
ing to the polling centers will display
traffic of an unusual kind, omnibuses,
hys, cabs, and even private carriages, all
plastered over with posting bills the color
the politics of the candidate they are ply
ing for, all driven at furious speed and
canned with men in high STAKE of ex-
citement. A stranger thus viewing them
as they hasten toward the polling place
might suppose them madly eager to exer-
else their right OF citizenship-that little
and limited one allowed them-to elect a
member OF parliament. But no they
are not coaching at their own expense,
not man OF them, Nor when they ar.
rive at the polling precinct-t or vii
lage-will refreshments cost them any
thing. There they find tables spread and
taverns running free tap, no one exactly
knowing who pays the shot That is a
secret of the electioneering agents the
lawyers engaged on each side and the tav-
ern keepers, for all of whom it is time
of high jinks-a very harvest of prosperi-
ty. Nothing plesses them better than tc
hear of parliament being dissolved, fol-
, then all this nice profitable business will
have to be gone over again.
Sometimes it does not end quite &C
: agreeably when the unsuccessful candi
/ date thinks he can bring bribery home to
the successful one. Then there is
: petition to unseat the elected member
and commission Of enquiry appointed
when nearly ALWAYS is it found that there
, has been something more than free car
riage ride and glass of beer Mt the bot
tom of it-in short, money consider
alton given for the votes. At the las
2 general election there was 80 much o.
this that scarce constituency in tn,
: kingdom escaped suspicion Of having
: been corrupted. And large number O
! them actually were corrupted so many
: and so scanialous the exposures, it wal
D found necessary to send half dozen o
e the wire-pullers to prison. As many
a hundreds, equally guilty, might hsv,
e been sent there; but the half-dozel
: wretched scape-goats were deemed valv,
0 enough to let off the steam squirt of pub
!. lie indignation. Since then some legisla
] tive action has been taken to prevent sucl
!. scandals in future though it is not like
t ly that will much avail in land wher
!, the voter knows his vote to be scare
e worth the casting. For il ever there wa
= n myth or misconception in the world,