New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-09
BRITISH ELECTORS.
ANOMALIES IN THE DISTRIBUTION OBJ
THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE.


more ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS not tragcally-den-
onstrated than in the registration courts
which sit for the revision or the electoral regis
ter. Except the weather. nothing in TINS coun-
try ts more uncertain than citizehS Young
qualification. ,,
lature has created four kinds of celebrates: ~
Parliamentary. CO county. CD parochial, ()
School Board For the last named there IS no Oh
fetal register the ratebook being used as the
list OF voters hut for the other three celebrates
there is an official register in three divisions.
which goes through the process Of legal revision
every September.
The various classes OF elCClotS afV'
Ia Houscholders.
(b) Tenement Occupi"r5. ....
(c) dodgers , 80
ID, Service voters ipersons living in service, as
shop assistants. coachmen. etc). >
(e, Occupiers (other than dwelling houses or
f1O value. - lN <>
tO Women with qualifications (a), Oh. te)'
For Parliament women may not vote, 40.
County Council and parochial purposes women
are included but dodgers and service voters are
DISQUALIFIED IL should he added that the posi-
t;on OF the elector IS further carefully comph-
Gated by allowing him TO vote In any hunlper
OF boroughs for Parliament FOR only one con-
sttuency for his County Council ana for every
parish in which he has qualification IL ne oe
a parochial eector. Thus. If fariiaihel'aty
or parochial clector be upon the register vi
Padding ton Fulham. Westminster ana oo]sn
other Parliamentary boroughs or parishes, ne
may vote in each: while as County Counch
eiec,or he could vote in only one OF the eoh-
stituencieS. 1880 o,>o,n
r,. ,,,oet romarkabie anomaly, so far. Is the
nnsit;on Of the lodger whose name in London
and the larger cities is legion lie Is coiS E,
to be good enough to elect fnciiioei Vi aii.a
mont but not wise enough to select Nestry-
man or a County Councillor. The explanation
offered Of thus absurd anomaly is that tne
lodecr is not ratepayer. ana IL 700 iteautntP
a bird of massage. But both Of these opJec-
,ions II rue would apply 10 a much larger sec
tion of County Council and parochia' electors
the tenement occupiers. ;.
I'he difference between the tenement occuptr
ami the lodger Is that the former occupies part
of a dwelling and pays rent to Landlord VINO
does not reside on the premises whie 'ne a ,
NAYS his rent to a resident landlord Ihe all
ference is one Of tweedledum and tWceulcdee :"
far as both payment Of rates and staoil'y OF
occupation concerned Inc ioaser pass
rates in his rent Just the tenement occupler
docs II therefore contributing 10 the lOcai
and municipal rates is the quaiIncation ioI tne
Darochial and municipal franchise. the loueeI Il
entitled TO il equally with the tenement holder
W., shall see presently that the ledger is the
Cinderella of the registration pantomi'ne' VINO IS
clothed with the rags of the lranchise' White hVi
elder sisters. the householder ana the tenement
occupier are all glorious with every garment OF
the suffrage.
So far we have dealt. by way of introduction
and for the better understanding of the vagarieS
Of registration, with questions of the FRANCHISE
rather than the technical work of registration
REGISTRATION.
r. % when we come TO the duties Of the regis
tration officers that the anomalies become ludi-
crous and the grievances of the elector both nu-
merous and pathetic. go ,
His first trouble Is compliance with the neces-
sary residential qualification. Nomlnany TINS is
a years residence. but as it must be year
residence from July Is in one year TO July ID
in the next the qualification is largely an illu-
awe one The average man Will see no Objection
to taking possession of a house or tenement on
July 16-the mere affection of moving VIII. In
ninety nine cases out Of hundred absorb him
IN his present trouble, and leave him no thought
Of preserving his political privileges.
But how will this move work out for him
politically Suppose he move on July TO- 1890.
he will not be able to begin his qualifying
period until July 10. 1899 and will not have com
pieted il until July -. 1900. And as the register
made up in 1900 will not come into force until
January l. 1901. a period OF two years and five
months will have elapsed from the date or occu-
nation until the eiector becomes entitled TO cast
n vote The present writer knows OF many
cases in which men of intelligence and position
have not been able to cast vote for many
years, owing to frequent changes OF residence.
In one case that of a responsible journalist. the
victim has not been able to vote at any elec-
ton during his life. never having succeeded in
getting onto the Parliamentary register In a
wear during which an election has taken place.
During the current revision of the registers
numerous instances OF disqualification for being
a few days short of the requisite residence have
occurred ard hardly a better illustration OF the
working of the system could he found than the
disqualification of General Sir hugh Cough,
Keeper OF the Queens Jewels
To some extent the trouble or QuautyinS Dy
residence is rnitigated by permitting the qualii-
cation to be made up by the successive occupa-
tisn OF different residences: but this only APP
plies to the successive occupation of residences
within the same borough and does not apply
to dodgers at all.