The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-04

LONDON, March BIN the house of com
mons today Right Hon. James Stanfield
moved that he house amend the electoral
law by enacting that nobody can vote III
more than one election area: that the term
qualifying A person to vote be reduced to
three months, and that the act OF regIstra'
tion be smpified Mr. Stanfield said the
toral franchise was class privilege, and
not a citizens ri-ht As the law now
stood man could vote in every county
and borour where he had a house. In
other words. the man having the most
means had the right to return more mem
bers of parliament than one with smaller
means These former votes often turned
an election against the views OF the major
ity of the resident electors.
Mr.. Henry II. Howorl h (Conservative)
submitted an amendment, TO the effect
than any alteration in the law was in
eXpedient unless providing that different
parts of Great Britain and Ireland should
be represented in parliament IN proportion
to their population. There was no doubt,
he said, that the balance OF voting had
largely changed. Opposition obeers.l II
the al erations should be made they should
affect Liberals and Conservatives alike.
The thing to be changed was Ireland's rep
resentation, which was ab5uTdly dispro
portionate. 1t was absurd that one small
Irish town should have as much electoral
power as a city like Dundee. Taken as a
whole, Irish representation far exceeded
what was allowed to England and Scot
land II was here that reform was neces-
sary. [Cheers
Mr. Gladstone held that the amendment
virtually admitted the necessity of amend
ing registration aud the acceptance of the
principle of lone man, one vote" The
country would not long tolerate a plural
laH ha
upper class TO throw their weight against
the judgment of the working classes.
THeari Hearil Possession of a plural
vote was Objectionable because it had no
connection with virtue, wisdom, character
or public services. Property was not en-
titled to extra representation. He was
unable to see that the convictions of the
great mass OF the people were less sound
than those of the higher classes. The
character, knowledge and education, they
claimed, were of themselves an extra
weight in elections; for it was the entire
disposition of the people TO do full justice
to these qualities.
The amendment was not legitimately
connected with the motion 1t was re-
fusing to remove one grievance until an
other ceased to exist. If Ireland had
eighteen members more than it was en-
titled on a strictly numerical basis. how
long had this been? How long had Eng
land been over represented, compared
with other nations? Only now England
found she had few members less than
she ought to have. England still held
two-thirds of the voting power, and in
sisted that the whole business of the nat
ional firm should be transacted at her
own fireside. Heart Hear!l England
certainly had no title to complain, looking
at the vast power she possessed and the
uses she made of regulating affairs in
portions of the kingdom, not by their senti
ments but by her own. If there existed a
grievance it was not hers. [Cheers.
Mr. Chamberlain said he agreed with
most of what Mr.. Gladstone had said
about plural voting. Sooner or later there
must be uniformity in suffrage.
Mr. Stanfeld's motion was rejected by
vote of 29l to lS9, the largeness of the ma
ority being due 10 the absence OF Irish
members.
Owing to the lateness of the hour, fur
ther debate on the amendment was post
poned.