1890-91.] NOTE ON ELECTORAL REPRESENTATION, 317 



popular government is, that the sovereign power of a State rests in and 

 proceeds from the people, and that it is exercised by the representatives 

 of the people assembled in Parliament, We have accepted this the 

 democratic theory as our principle of government ; but an examination 

 will show that the methods adopted in carrying it into practice, have 

 failed in their object. We, in fact, follow a course which, in its results, 

 operates in a manner diametrically opposed to the true theory of our 

 political constitution. The theory is that the mass of the electors shall 

 be present in the persons and heard in the voices of those who constitute 

 the national assembly or Parliament. Such undoubtedly is the principle 

 of government which we aim to carry into effect, but it has never in practice 

 been even approximately attained ; moreover, it is impossible of attain- 

 ment so long as members of Parliament continue to be chosen according 

 to the present method of election. The obstacles to obtaining a true repre- 

 sentation of the people in Parliament are due to the combined influence 

 of two causes. The first is the expedient universally adopted in choosing 

 members of the legislature by a majority of votes in each constituency. 

 The second is the division of the people and the representatives into two 

 great parties. The second, indeed, follows in a great measure from the 

 first ; undoubtedly the primary radical error is in assuming that the 

 aggregate numerical majorities in the several constituencies are represen- 

 tative of the whole community. On this assumption, all those who do 

 not vote with the majorities are unrepresented in Parliament. The 

 aggregate majorities represent only a portion, in place of the whole 

 people ; the electors who voted for the defeated candidates, together with 

 those who had no vote, or did not vote, remain unrepresented. Under 

 these circumstances, even if the whole elected body gives its unanimous 

 support to the administration, we do not obtain a true and perfect model 

 of popular government, that is to say, a people self governed. We have but 

 the government of a part over a part ; possibly, but not necessarily, the 

 major over the minor part. It is proper, however, in considering the ques- 

 tion, that we should deduct the members in opposition, and then we still 

 less have the government we are told we possess ; that is the government 

 of the people. We then have practically government by the minor over 

 the major part. It can be conclusively shown that the minor and 

 governing part is but a fraction of the whole, and that we are, as a 

 matter of fact, usually governed by this fractional part. There cannot 

 be a doubt that from this circumstance spring the unhappy forces which 

 so much disturb the harmony of our political machinery. 



It has elsewhere been made clear by actual statistics, that the electoral 

 methods which we follow prevent a large portion of the community from 

 being represented in Parliament, and exclude a still larger portion, gener- 



