The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-05-08
A ClLT-EDCE FRANCHISE.

but to have a contemporary mean
something it does not say, in order
TO make. some show of replying to
what it does say. At least such is
the legitimate inference to be drawn
from that papers conduct in the
issue raised by it with rs upon the
civic franchise question. Our con
temporary knows full well that there
is room for u thousand degrees of
popular privilege between mere
manhood suffrage and a franchise re-
stricted to the wealthy and the aris-
tocratic classes, which latter must
be what is implied in the designa-
ton, "a gilt-edge franchise. The
1dcertiSer makes big brag about
being "for the people" in this
matter, first, last, and all the time.
Well, if the people are not for it, it
is very gratifying to hear that our
contemporary is for the people. 1t
would be sad indeed if the repulsion
was mutual. Even one-sided at
tachment is not always in vain: it
serves to maintain the limpet on the
rock and the barnacle on the ships
side. Like good many of the peo-
pie who practice demagogucry, how
ever, the Pittacus Green of the Id
UertiScr ovcrshoots the mark in pay
ing his "distrcsscs" to the "dear,
delicious, darling laboring class.
1t says: 'Wc arc opposed to any
proposal, however spccious, or any
project, however plausible, which
tends to deprive the workingmen of
the community in which we reside
of the right of saying how they shall
be governed, and Of choosing who
shall do the work Of government. -
The working men of the present
day will hardly consider it compli-
mentary to them to have their aver
age standing placed below the re-
quirements of reasonable property
franchise. Under house-holding
or personal property suffrage in
Canada, the working men of the
leading cities are the arbitcrs of
national, provincial, and civic poll
tics. In the Dominion each local
jurisdiction has it's own franchise for
all elections, there being no national
basis of suffrage yet established. A
Liberal Government elected in
Nova Scotia in 1859 abolished man
hood suffrage, and, appealing to the
people in 1868, was defeated by the
votes of those who were to be there
after disfranchiscd. Yet neither the
Government that came into power
on that occasion, nor any succeeding
one, has vcnturcd to go back to the
old way. That the party which in
that Province wrestcd responsible
government from the British crown,
after truly glorious conflict, should
have deemed it necessary to abolish
universal suffrage, is n powerful ar
gument for n franchise that does not
include the basest sort in its scope.
Some of the thinking men of the
United Statcs--a nation cited by
our contemporary as a magnificent
example of the success of universal
suffrage-are of the opinion that
one of the weakest points in their
national system is the power given
by that very thing to the rabble.
The fact that party national conven-
tions have to consider what can
didate is most likely to carry New
York, rather than what one is the
best man, is one of the illustrations
of the working of the system there.
Victoria, Australia, is another shin
ing example of manhood suffrage.
That colony has the reputation,
however, of leading all its sisters in
political corruption and the injurious
ascendancy of demagogues. A