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The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842-1954) (about)
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Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12422925
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I asGItCH KXTXAOTS.
[REPRESENTATION FOR THE COLO-
NIES.
(From the Colonial Gazette, October 19.)
tim subject ofa ccuttil lepiciciitutioii ol the Colonies is fteqiientl) alluded to in the Colo- nial pnpots, mid the laminen I/o; inna Join - ««/Intel) rnised two objections,-nrking how gentlemen could be induced to leave then own conn ti) to live in Loudon and devote their time lo the public service' And of what wei0ht and influence a few Coiomnl gettlle meit would he m the Home Logisliilut o /
As to tile inducement, thctc mc ninny ob vious suggestions J he hotioui ol the post would he the chief, and that might he grcnlly augmented by some vciy nppiopnatc ncces sories. Though the pecuniary emoluments could bardi) be offered in the light of lew ud and inducement, tiley might be made to obviate difltciiltics, nid solo give the othei inducements their full foicc Among olhei suggestions, the following might prove a con ventent oriatigement Hie candid vtc to be elected, no1 by the people, bul b) the îcpre scutntives of the people from among them selves in Colonies possessing a House of Assembly, the House would elect a member ol its own lu cises of a im\cd Chainbet, like that ol New South Wales 01 Newfound-
land, the elective nvmbcrs alone to take runt m tile election of the leprcenlativc, and to choose hitit from among themselves, the Clown nominees und ofltciul peisons being exclndcd from all piiticipnlton in the pro- ceeding lite member would thus possess a double lUthout) he would, in the hist in- stance, have been chosen by the people them- selves, in the second, he would dctive his anthon!) du cet ft otu the popular branch of the Lodi Covetnminl I lie mimbil of te picsentativcs foi each colony should be small, formally tcasoiu, but chu Hy in oidcr that the representation mi(,ht not be nculiali/ed by divided counsels-a ehmce multiplied m a direct ratio to the number of leprcscntatives, and ne\t, m ordru tlut a penectly sitMicient salary mi(,ht be given, to enable the lepre sentnttveto scenic adequate nssistuiiei in hu own pin ate allans dilling his absence (his self rcpiescutation at home), and to take a pioper station among his compeers in the mettopolis the muk thus nttimcd should be pciiiiuiicnt Hie icpicscntutite vi ho com pletcd his lei m of sei vice (which should he lived at nctthei loo sholl nor toolong a pe liod) mtj,lil aftci his return to the colon), take his scat as ol light m one or otlioi branch of the législature, and Uko mecedeneo of the 01 dmnr) representatives ot iho people io prevent abuse, it might bo desirable, in order to consummate that rit,ht, that n vote of the Assembly or elective membeis should recoid ihat he hud duly perlormcd his term of sor vicc ihcpcrmnneiithinour and station thus secured to the mcmbci in his own countr) would piobnbly be as sliong au inducement
as could be oflcred
A eollatetnl advantage from such a plan would hi, that n class of independent 1PJ,IS latotsand pctsonsof formally recognised in-
fluence would he constituted without needless ltitetfcicncc on Hie pull of the Ctown, mid m a main cr pccultaily suitable to the colonies
1 he studoll, the poisonal power, the legisla- tive c\peiiencp, and distinct em mu,? of honour h) impoilaut public service foi whiih the recipient had been chosen among the chosen, would gtvo vei) gleit weight to his opinion, und the very course of r edon which had proemed lum thai powei would discipline his judgment to use it foi the public welfare
It would be difficult to concciicu botter ti am nig for tho tncmheis of (hut desideratum in colonies, t well constructed "nnstocine), oi lnthei n cliss of indi pendent lermlatois, who hid given eat nest of their cipacity and dis- cretion-i c1 iss to mediate judiciously be- tween the uopulnr patty and the Crown
tiloso Kho askolwhut influença would a gentleman fiom a colony be, dq so undera confusion of idciis Because gentlemen willi no vcr) dtslinctl) lecogm/cd mission from the Colonies, and with no sort of pnvvci here, possess not much weight willi a Legislature with whom (hey scarcely cvor come |n con- tact, it is assumed that gentlemen accredited in the mott formal manuel, possessing leal power, and habitually in contact willi the Legtsliliue, would have no influence On the contrit v it maybe averred, that if mt) man wetc suddenly ititioduecd into the House of Commons, without any of those circum- stances of power, but merci) m such a man- ner that the House should be able to estimate the soundness of his local and piaettcnl nifoi
mntioii, his rcpiescntutions would carr) with themvei) grcitweight At present, the Im penal Legislutme has no guide but tho i oi icular ambiguities of ofilciul people, who
won t tell what the) kuo \, and add the npo cijphnl asset lions of the hiill-infoimcd dilet- tante puti ons of client colonies
Again, if the rcpiescntalivcs of the several colonies were brought togcthei in a lecng nised capacity, they would soon di cover great questions ni which all colonies haven common mietest ¡ and b) acting togcthei, they would acquire n cumulative nijjiteiipc and nuthoiity viistl) exceeding nny estímalo
thut can be formed fioin the influence cn jn) ed by mci e cmplo) is or colonial " agents
these are some ol'the considerations winch our dist mt cmilcmpoiaiies should keep in mind when they discuss the question of Im penal representation for the colonies, now a speculative question, but one day to have a strictly practical beariiifr.