The debate turned mainly upon this point, the extreme advocates
of the Ballot, through Mr. Leatham, demanding more perfect secrecy. Mr. Fawcett was very wroth at the omission of any clauses throwing the expense of elections on the ratepayers, but nobody said a ward on what, we believe, will prove the great practical difficulty. How is an overplus of candidates to be winnowed? At present the Liberal committees arrange a test ballot, at which every elector who at the previous election voted on their aide can assist, but after this bill passes they will not know how anybody voted. A system will grow up, we fear, of trusting to a central committee, or "caucus," to nominate candi- dates, a method of double election which does not work well. It throws out men who would have the sympathies of electors for men who have the sympathies of the central "caucus."
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