Liberalism and the Social Problem | Page 9

them are unhealthy and undemocratic. Now
the principle of one vote one value can be applied and realised in this
country, either upon the basis of population, or upon the basis of voters.
It makes no difference which is selected; for there is no part of this
country which is more married, or more prolific than another, and
exactly the same distribution and exactly the same number of members
would result whether the voters or the population basis were taken in a
Redistribution Bill. But in South Africa the disparity of conditions
between the new population and the old makes a very great difference
between the urban and the rural populations, and it is undoubtedly true
that if it be desired to preserve the principle of one vote one value, it is
the voters' basis and not the population basis that must be taken in the
Transvaal--and that is the basis which his Majesty's Government have
determined to adopt.
The right hon. gentleman the Member for St. George's, Hanover Square,
had proposed to establish a franchise qualification of £100 annual value.
That is not nearly such a high property-qualification as it would be in
this country. I do not quarrel with the right hon. gentleman's
Constitution on the ground that his franchise was not perfectly fair, or
not a perfectly bonâ fide and generous measure of representation. But it

is undoubtedly true that a property-qualification of £100 annual value
told more severely against the Boers than against the British, because
living in the towns is so expensive that almost everybody who lives in
the towns, and who is not utterly destitute, has a property-qualification
of £100 annual value. But in the country districts there are numbers of
men, very poor but perfectly respectable and worthy citizens--day
labourers, farmers' sons, and others--who would not have that
qualification, and who consequently would have been excluded by the
property-qualification, low as it is having regard to the conditions in
South Africa. Quite apart from South African questions and affairs, his
Majesty's Government profess a strong preference for the principle of
manhood suffrage as against any property-qualification, and we have
therefore determined that manhood suffrage shall be the basis on which
votes are distributed.
It is true that in the prolonged negotiations and discussions which have
taken place upon this question manhood suffrage has been demanded
by one party and the voters' basis by the other, and there has been a
tacit, though quite informal agreement that the one principle should
balance the other. But that is not the position of his Majesty's
Government in regard to either of these propositions. We defend both
on their merits. We defend "one vote, one value," and we defend
manhood suffrage, strictly on their merits as just and equitable
principles between man and man throughout the Transvaal. We have
therefore decided that all adult males of twenty-one years of age, who
have resided in the Transvaal for six months, who do not belong to the
British garrison--should be permitted to vote under the secrecy of the
ballot for the election of Members of Parliament.
Now there is one subject to which I must refer incidentally. The
question of female suffrage has been brought to the notice of various
members of the Government on various occasions and in various ways.
We have very carefully considered that matter, and we have come to
the conclusion that it would not be right for us to subject a young
Colony, unable to speak for itself, to the hazards of an experiment
which we have not had the gallantry to undergo ourselves; and we shall
leave that question to the new Legislature to determine.

I come now to the question of electoral divisions. There are two
alternatives before us on this branch of the subject--equal electoral
areas or the old magisterial districts. When I say "old," I mean old in
the sense that they are existing magisterial districts. There are
arguments for both of these courses. Equal electoral areas have the
advantage of being symmetrical and are capable of more strict and
mathematical distribution. But the Boers have expressed a very strong
desire to have the old magisterial districts preserved. I think it is rather
a sentimental view on their part, because upon the whole I think the
wastage of Boer votes will, owing to excessive plurality in certain
divisions, be slightly greater in the old magisterial districts than in
equal electoral areas. The Boers have, however, been very anxious that
the old areas of their former Constitution, of their local life, should be
interfered with as little as possible, and that is a matter of serious
concern to his Majesty's Government. Further, there is a great saving of
precious time and expense in avoiding the extra work of new
delimitation which would be