THE COMMONWEALTH 337 



bling Bill, which provided for the holding of yet another Federal 

 Convention, consisting of ten delegates from each colony, to whom 

 was to be entrusted the framing of a Federal Constitution Act. 

 The Enabling Bill was promptly passed by all the Australian Par- 

 liaments except Queensland, but New Zealand rejected it. The 

 delegates were elected by each colony voting as one constituency. 

 The result in Victoria was rather surprising, the extreme radical 

 party carrying all their nominees to the exclusion of several ad- 

 mittedly able candidates on the Conservative side. In the other 

 Colonies there was a fair admixture of both parties. The conven- 

 tion opened its proceedings in Adelaide in March, 1897, and its 

 work extended over a whole year, sittings being held in Sydney 

 and Melbourne. At the latter city the draft Bill for the Federal 

 Constitution was finally adopted on the 17th of March, 1898. The 

 lengthened debates and the details of the constitution travel be- 

 yond the annals of Colonial Victoria. It is only necessary to 

 record the final steps that brought it into existence. The popular 

 vote was taken in the consenting Colonies on the 3rd of June, 1898, 

 and resulted in 214,038 votes being cast for Federation and 106,859 

 against it. There had unfortunately been inserted a condition that 

 irrespective of any recorded majority New South Wales was not to be 

 bound unless at least 80,000 of her own people voted in favour. The 

 ayes only totalled 71,472, and although the actual majorities were 

 everywhere very pronounced, it looked as if an impasse had once 

 more been reached. The scene of contention was mainly confined 

 to New South Wales and Queensland, the other Colonies declining 

 to discuss any alterations in a Bill already submitted to the popular 

 vote and sanctioned by such large majorities. A whole year passed 

 away in negotiations, and finally New South Wales was coaxed into 

 the fold by somewhat generous concessions, the principal one being 

 of a rather sordid character in the form of a pledge that the pro- 

 posed Federal capital city should be built within her borders. These 

 alterations necessitated another plebiscite. It was taken in July, 

 1899 ; New South Wales obtained the statutory number, and the 

 other Colonies reaffirmed their previous decision with increased 

 majorities. It is worth recording, however, that even in Victoria, 

 where the enthusiasm for Federation was certainly highest, fully 

 VOL. ii. 22 



