El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-16
Promises of Prime Minister
toABe Kept in Program Of
Reform Legislation.

landau England, July l6.-JOhn A
Pease, minister OF equcattIOn' lOhs cIiIet
~, reeistra ton, IVES put up by the
government to introduce the promised
reform and registration Dill, the erect
Of which would. among OIher InInSS,
he TO abolish plural voting and in
crease the number OF voters IN the
tinted Kingdom by some 100000.
II is on this bill shat the government
has promised to give tacilues Tor the
introduction of an amendment to grant
+be suffrage to women on the same
terms as to men. This amendment
however will not be a government one
and members are to be left to vote as
tho like on it. As the present house
If Commons has already declared itself
against votes for women, the amend
ment has little chance OF passing; IN
fact the bill itself has very little
chance of reaching the statute book
with home rule and Welsh diSestabllsn-
nent ahead of the and hardly time
enough to discuss those Two great
Prime Minister Keeps Promises.
The bill has been introduced in keep
ing with three promises made Dy tne
prime minister. The first was to MS
own supporters to do away with plural
voting which il is generally admitted
landicaps Liberal candidates IN thS
constituencies, most of the landhOlderS
who have these plural votes casting
them against the Liberals This prom
Use can be kept without the passage OF
the present bill, as another Dill Win
the same purpose has been introduced
by a private member and has already
passed its second reading BY adopting
this bill as their own, the government
can redeem the first OF premier As
quith's promises.
The second promise was, If there was
time to remove the difficulties when
the present law places in the way OF
registration. This can also be carried
out in the private bill
The next promise was to the SUI
fragists, to give facilities Tor the IN
PRODUCTION of an amendment giving
votes to women. This viii be carried
cut; but as il will be opposed by
leaders on both sides of the house, 1t
is not likely to get further than an
Introduction This would finally dis
pose Of the matter in the present par
lament. Then the reform bill viii be
laid aside, unless, of course, something
Unforeseen happens. and the Liberals
will get rid of plural voting by private
bill, and in the same way secure the
passage of any of their franchise pro-
pocals that they consider vital.
Far Reaching in Effect.
The bill introduced by Mr. Pease IS
of far reaching effect By it the value
of property as an element of qualiflca-
ton would cease and every man OF 4
years of age, with SIX months resi-
dence or occupation in a constituency,
could have his name placed on the reg
lister without all the red tape which
makes the English system the most
under the present system, if 2 man re-
moved from one house to another IN
the same street, he automatically lost
his vote and could not get on the list
again until new one was being pre-
pared. which might mean a year. IN
der the bill just introduced the lists
always remain open, and a voter mas
six months in which TO notify the Of
ficials of his change of address. There
are many other anomalies that would
be removed.
Conservatives Not Satisfied.
These changes meet with the ap-
proval OF all, but there are other
clauses in the bill. besides the abOH-
ton of plural voting. which the Con-
servatives bitterly oppose. The aboli-
ton of university representation, which
would reduce the voting power of tier
party in the house of commons by nine,
is objected to on the ground that the
university constituencies are the only
ones where an education qualification
is required. This reduction of the
= r,g-. e Of IONS