はてなキーワード:代議制統治論とは
CONSIDERATIONSON REPRESENTATIVEGOVERNMENT
Chapter X—Of the Mode of Voting.
The pollingplaces should be so numerousas to be within easyreach of every voter, and no expenses of conveyance,at the cost of the candidate, should be tolerated underany pretext. The infirm, and theyonlyon medical certificate, should have the right of claiming suitable carriage conveyanceat the cost of thestate or of the locality. Hustings, poll clerks,and all the necessary machinery of elections, should beat the public charge. Notonly the candidate should not be required, he should not be permitted to incurany but a limited and trifling expense forhis election.Mr. Hare thinksit desirable that a sum of £50 should be required from everyonewhoplaceshisnameon the list of candidates, to prevent personswho have no chance of success, and no real intention ofattemptingit, from becoming candidates in wantonness or from merelove of notoriety, and perhaps carrying off a few votes which areneeded for the return ofmore seriousaspirants. Thereisone expense which a candidate orhis supporters can not help incurring, and whichit can hardly be expected that the public should defray for everyonewhomay choose to demandit—that of makinghis claims known to the electors,by advertisements, placards, and circulars. Forall necessary expenses of this kind the £50 proposedbyMr. Hare, ifallowed to be drawn upon for these purposes (it might bemade £100 if requisite), ought to be sufficient. If thefriends of the candidate choose togo to expense for committees and canvassing, there are no means of preventing them; but such expensesout of the candidates's ownpocket, orany expenses whateverbeyond the deposit of £50 (or £100), should beillegal and punishable. If there appearedany likelihood that opinion would refuse to conniveatfalsehood, a declarationonoath or honor should be required from every member,on takinghis seat, that he had not expended,nor would expend, money or money's worthbeyond the £50, directly or indirectly, for the purposes ofhis election; and if theassertion were proved to befalse or the pledge to have been broken, he should be liable to the penalties of perjury.Itis probable that those penalties,by showing that the Legislaturewas in earnest, would turn the course of opinion in the same direction, and would hinderit from regarding,ashas hitherto done, thismost serious crime againstsocietyas a venial peccadillo. Whenonce this effecthas been produced, thereneed beno doubt that the declarationonoath or honor would be considered binding. [6] "Opinion tolerates afalse disclaimeronly whenit already tolerates the thing disclaimed." Thisis notoriously thecase with regard to electoral corruption. Therehas never yet been, among political men,any real and seriousattempt to prevent bribery, because therehas been no realdesire that elections should not be costly. Their costlinessis an advantage to thosewho can affordthe expenseby excluding a multitude of competitors;and any thing, however noxious,is cherishedas having aconservative tendency, ifit limits theaccess toParliament to rich men. Thisis a rootedfeeling among our legislators of both political parties, andis almost theonlypointon whichI believe them to be reallyill-intentioned. They care comparativelylittlewho votes,as longas theyfeelassured that none but persons of their own class can be voted for. They know that they can relyon the fellow-feeling ofone of their class withanother, while the subservience of nouveaux enrichiswho are knockingat the door of the classis astill surer reliance; and thatnothing very hostile to the class interests orfeelings of the richneed be apprehended underthe most democratic suffrage,as longas democratic persons can be prevented frombeing elected toParliament. But, even from their ownpoint ofview, this balancing ofevilbyevil, instead of combininggood withgood,is a wretched policy. Theobject should be to bringtogether the best members of both classes, under such a tenureas shall induce them to layaside their class preferences, and pursue jointly thepath tracedby thecommon interest, instead ofallowing the classfeelings of the Many to have fullswing in the constituencies, subject to the impediment of having toact through persons imbuedwith the classfeelings of the Few.