THE REGISTRATION BILL.
[To me EDITOR OP TRH SPROTILTOR.1 But,—The Spectator must be congratulated on the excellent and prac- tical article on the absurd demand for a Registration Bill with a view to a General Election during or after the war. I venture to state that there would be a general condemnation amongst all 'classes of an election during the war, with all its attendant expense and trouble, and the disturbance to trade and business, with the leas of time and money which we can ill afford during the remainder of the war. Whilst to have a General Election during the war without every soldier and sailor having a vote, and being able to use it, would be considered a gross and indecent outrage and resented by every man and woman throughout Great Britain and the civilized world.
But the Prime Minister shows that cannot be done, and everyone with any patriotism will agree in his brave decision to refuse to allow the time of the statesmen in the Cabinet to be troubled with thrashing out any immature schemes which some disappointed politicians may suggest. How could you ask the ordinary overseers of the rural parishes to make out the voters' lists during harvest, even if they could have the assistance of the party agents, which they cannot now have under a blessed truce in party politics ? What do these eminent lawyers who were recently members of the present Government hope to gain by a General Election during the war ? Do they propose to ask the constituencies to dismiss the few tried statesmen which the country at present possesses, to set up another Cabinet of lawyers and other discontented politicians, with the assistance of the "odds and ends" of all the different parties ? If so, they will be disappointed, and the constituencies will be more inclined to agree with Hamlet and "rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of," under some unknown combination of political atoms.
But if it is said we do not want an election during the war, but to be prepared by a now registration without a proper roll of the elec- torate after the war, then the question at once arises, What possible use will such voters' lists in the constituencies be if they are prepared under the conditions which now obtain in towns and villages ? Voters' lists, even if they could be accurately prepared now, would be quite useless when peace is made. No one can possibly toll now what will become of those returning from the war safe and sound, let alone those who have been partially disabled, or those who have migrated to the towns for munition work. The voters' lists would be most unsatis- factory, unrepresentative, and really worthless. Any registration now would be a useless expenditure of time and money, and end in an absurd and ridiculous farce. The nation does not want It and Would resent any General Election during tho war, whilst no registra- tion of voters before the conclusion of the war would be of the slightest use to obtain the correct opinion of the electorate, and especially of the most virile portion of the nation who have taken part in the defence of their homes and country and fought the battle for liberty and righteousness threughout Europe, Asia, and South Africa.—I am,
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