(TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.')
SIR,—Without questioning the conclusions of your argument on the coming Liverpool election, many persons will probably
hesitate to endorse the argument for general acceptance. It is most important that constituencies should be free at by- elections to register any change of view since the general election. Considerations such as you have urged in this case may hold good for some short period after the general election. But it does not seem desirable that in any case such a matter should be left to the sense of justice entertained by the political leaders of thought in any place at any given time. The injustice of reversing the minority vote at a general election by means of a majority vote at a by-election is patent enough ; so patent, that it seems better to find arithmetical expression for it, than to leave it to the kindly consideration of men who feel bound to do the best they can for their own party.
Will you be kind enough to find space for a suggested solution of the problem, which may be stated thus ?—Let us suppose that at the general election there are 300 Liberal electors. They give two votes apiece, and distribute the 600k votes equally among three Liberal candidates, who thus appear at the poll with 200 votes apiece. It needs only 200 Conserva- tive electors to place two Conservative candidates on an equality with the three Liberal candidates. The Liberal party will run
three candidates, if they can hope for a majority of more than three to two at the poll. 1. The case where the majority was. so large that three Liberals were victorious at the general election need not be considered. This is provided for by an ordinary majority vote. Two cases remain,—(a), where one of the two majority Members resigns ; (b), where the minority Member resigns. 2. (a) Is provided for by an ordinary majority vote. 3. (b) Would be placed on the same footing as at the general election, by requiring a majority of more than three to two for the election of a third majority Member, and failing this, returning the candidate of the minority.—I am, Sir, &c., PERCIVAL JACKSON.
King's Teignton Vicarage, Newton-Abbot.
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