THE REFERENDUM.
pro THE EDITOR 01THE 1311110I/TO Sla,—The article in your issue of May 4th headed "The House of Lords and the Referendum " is interesting, but not convincing to Canadians, who have bad some experience of the Referendum. You omit to mention the objection which experience'has taught us to be the main one,.—viz., the difficulty of getting men to come out and vote at all when a principle only is at stake, and there is no party contest or fight between rival candidates who see to the polling of their sup- porters votes. You argue that the result of the Referendum should be taken as a mere expression of opinion, and that a Government measure rejected by it should not necessarily lead to the resignation of the Government; but if the voters will not come out you will soon have to abandon the Referen- dums, and unless the life of the Government is at stake I doubt if you will get them to the polls. In 1898 we took a popular vote on the question of Prohibition, and half-a-million only voted out of more than a million qualified, voters. The exact proportion was 43.92,-1 am, Sir, &c., Otrestuts M. Rovr.
Guardian Building, 160 St. James Street,
Montreal.
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