1818 March 28.

Parl. Ref. Bill

+ '.2

Reasons

'.II Electors Who

Vote Conferring Certificate

1

1

Why, for the purpose of constituting a man's title to a vote require an antecedent residence at one place for so long a term as four weeks?

Answer That in and for each District the number of persons entitled to vote at the then next Election may be ascertained in time. Such ascertainment will be necessary for several purposes.

1. That the documents /instruments/ hereby required to be provided by the Registrar /Election clerk/ may have been provided in time. 4[?] '. Subjective[?] '.'.

2. To prevent that inequality which by accident or evil design might be produced as between District and District in the number of votes intitled to be given in the several Districts; and thereby to preserve /save/ the voters in every District from being liable to see the value of their votes subjected to unexpected diminutions by the influx of unexpected members.

3. To save in each District the Election from being rendered null /prevented from taking place/ by the delay produced by the unexpected influx of unexpected numbers, whereby the utmost time /number of days/ that could without annual[?] inconvenience be allowed for the taking of the Votes might in some Districts be insufficient for the taking of the whole number of the Votes of those entitled to vote: in which case, some men to an unlimited number might thus be deprived of their rights: and by the fear of such private victims crowding and thence personal accidents, quarrels and tumults might take place.

By antipathy produced by personal or party cause or towards this or that Candidate, or as towards the majority of the settled and ordinary voters in this or that District on the ground of their supposed attachment to this or that Candidate, or to this or that party, an influx /inroad/ of this kind would be but too apt to be produced. For though by such means a man could not diminish the value of other men's votes without diminishing in equal degree that of his own, yet what would be but too liable to happen is that For to obtain the satisfaction of a social principle of this sort, men in the requisite numbers would not scruple even were it to throw away entirely their respective votes: and such disposition would be the more likely to prevail the more indifferent a man was about the common good, and the pleasure of such triumphant exercise of power would operate as a sort of bounty, reversing and promoting such indifference.