Blackwood's Edinburgh magazine, Vol. 75, No. 462, April 1854Various
History
Blackwood's Edinburgh magazine, Vol. 75, No. 462, April 1854
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
But we shall be asked, what is to become of £10 occupants residing
beyond borough boundaries, who are really rated to the income-tax? Are
they to remain unrepresented? Our reply is, that they ought to be
represented, and can be represented, without sending them to the
county-roll. The true, sound, and equitable method is to enlarge the
parliamentary boundaries of boroughs, so that persons of this class may
be enrolled in the nearest borough to their residence. Such enlargement
may be made irrespective of other persons who are entitled to the county
franchise, and who would still claim to be placed upon that roll. In
this way, no one really entitled to vote would be excluded: both
counties and boroughs would be preserved; and the latter would receive a
very considerable augmentation of numbers from a class of men who at
present do not enjoy the franchise.
There is but one point more to which we shall specially refer, and that
is the proposed representation of minorities. We have shown, in a former
article, that this is perfectly unworkable, and moreover greatly to be
deprecated, as entirely changing the relations of the electors and their
representatives. It can only, according to Lord John Russell’s
admission, be attempted in constituencies which are to be allowed three
representatives; and the simple fact of its being the exception, and not
the rule, seems to us sufficient to condemn it. We have already put the
case of the death or resignation of one of these minority members, and
we cannot see how his place can be supplied, unless it is enacted that
the candidate lowest on the poll is to be returned. It is neither
sensible nor equitable to challenge the authority of majorities. If you
leave a question, whether it relate to men or measures, to be decided by
a certain number of people, you must perforce adopt and acquiesce in the
verdict of the majority. But it is within our power to render the
majorities less oppressive, by multiplying as much as possible the
number of the tribunals of appeal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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