LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
POLITICALLY NEUTRAL CONSTITUENCIES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—You say,—" Where is the difficulty of standing neutral in a single-seat constituency ? Is not neutrality better expressed. by not voting at all, than it is by voting for both the contending causes?" I am obliged to conclude that I have entirely failed to convey my meaning. I meant the neutrality of the con- stituency, not the neutrality of the individual voter. If there are two Members, the constituency can return two Liberals ; then it votes Liberal. It can return two Tories ; then it votes Tory. Or it can return one of each; then it votes neutral. But if there is only one Member, he must be either Liberal or Tory ; or at least he must be elected on the profession of being one or the other, and the constituency cannot express its neutrality,— unless, indeed, it were possible to elect neutral candidates, pledged to abstain from voting in party divisions.—I am, [A constituency is hardly ever really neutral. When it neutralises itself by returning Members of opposite parties, there is almost always a much larger vote for one representative than for the other ; and when that is so, it is unjust that the real opinion of the constituency should be neutralised by a minority. —En. Spectator.]
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