LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE REFERENDUM AND " PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION." [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—Everyone who values really " Democratic Government " should unfeignedly rejoice at the result of the late election, for it has made two things absolutely inevitable—" Propor- tional Representation," or its inferior substitute, " the Second Ballot," and, above all, " the Referendum." I have been astounded by—even now—the extraordinary ignorance as to the provisions and working of both these safeguards against, respectively, minority rule and hasty, ill-considered legislation displayed by those with whom I have talked on these matters. When I explained to them exactly what each will effect, without exception the response has been, " Oh, I never understood that ! Why on earth don't we have one ? " Why, indeed ! I would suggest that in order to bring these vital questions prominently before the attention of the people, simple explanations should be drawn up, printed and posted in as many places as practicable where the public " most do congregate "—especially trains, motor-'buses, trams, and the like.
The life of this Parliament is likely to be of short duration.
It has a splendid opportunity to go down to posterity as one of the most famous and valuable in its achievements of modern times, in that it gave to the people of this country a new enfranchisement, consolidation, and extension of their liberties and rights in true self-government : a reaffirmation of the Magna Carta suitable to these latter days.
As regards Sir A. Burgoyne's objection as to the likelihood of the abuse of the Referendum privilege, I am not much intrigued by it. I do not consider either that the matter should be left to the Speaker to decide. Supposing we had a Speaker like the late (happily unreturned) Communist member—what might happen then ? We all have the Law Courts to appeal to, but we don't necessarily trek there for comparatively trivial reasons.—I am, Sir, c.,
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