§ Lieutenant-Colonel ARCHER-SHEEI beg to move, "That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make better provision for the exercise of the Parliamentary Franchise and for purposes connected therewith."
I wish to detain the House for a few moments in order to explain one or two points with reference to this Bill. The Bill itself is a corollary to the Act of 1918, which has increased our electorate from some 8,500,000 of voters to over 21,000,000. The object of the Bill is to stimulate interest in elections, both in General Elections and in bye-elections. At the present time it is a fact that only something like 50 per cent. of the electors go to the poll and record their votes at elections, and at a time when we have enfranchised so many more people in this country—something like 13,000,000 more during the last two years—it is essential that something should be done to try and obtain from the people what their real opinion is as to the government which they wish to represent them. There exists already in another democracy, that of Australia, a law by which people who do not register are fined for a first offence 10s., for a second offence £2, and for a subsequent offence £2. This Bill does not seek to place any penalty for not registering, because as we have a register twice a year in this country that would impose a great hardship on the large mass of the electorate, and I think it would be unworkable, but is it too much to ask those who have the proudest privilege of any human being, that of being a British subject, that once in four years they should exercise the first duty of a citizen and go to the poll and record their vote?
At the present time, with only 50 or 60 per cent. of the electors voting, there is an enormous amount of opinion which is inarticulate. It consists to a very 2187 large degree of people of moderate views, because as a rule the extremists lodge their votes on both sides, but it is the people of moderate views who after all form that silent and tremendous force which we know as public opinion, and which acts as a gyroscope to the political ship of State. If we could get their opinion lodged at the polls in a far greater measure than we do now it would be a great advantage and would be a really democratic thing to do, and therefore I hope for the support of the most democratic Members of this House for the introduction of this Bill. The Bill in itself is a very simple one. It imposes a fine of £1 for not exercising the vote and for a second or subsequent offence a fine of £2, or a month's imprisonment. The Bill is drawn with very wide exceptions, such as illness, absence on naval, military, or civil duty, or residence over ten miles from the polling booth, and also any other reasonable cause which in the opinion of the returning officer is sufficient cause for not voting. It would simply act as a stimulant, and in most cases it would be quite unnecessary to use it. It is only in the cases of those contumacious people who absolutely refuse to go to the poll and record their vote that this Act might be used, and it would be really useful in forcing them to express their opinion. I think when hon. Members see the Bill they will see that it is properly drawn with wide exceptions
§ and that it is a natural corollary of the great increase in the franchise which has been brought about in recent years.
§ 4.0 P.M.
Mr. PALMERI rise to oppose the introduction of this Bill. I think this is another instance of absurd legislation. I thought we appealed to the free and independent voter. I can imagine an occasion on which the only alternative a voter might have would be between a "Wee Free" and a Labour man, and are we going to penalise a man because, in the dignity of his own mind, he refuses to vote for either of them? Any man who has the vote ought in conscience to exercise it, I agree, but if he has an alternative before him which he regards as ridiculous or dangerous to the country, I say it would be an absolute stupidity—it would be the negation of all liberty—to put upon that man a fine or imprisonment for not voting. It looks to me as if the hon. and gallant Gentleman who wishes to introduce the Bill knew we were going to have a serious day, and thought we might have as a hors d'œuvre a little humour, but I think we ought to express our opinion on the subject by not giving him leave to introduce the Bill.
§ Question put, "That leave be given to introduce a Bill to make better provision for the exercise of the Parliamentary Franchise, and for purposes connected therewith."
§ The House divided: Ayes, 74; Noes, 158.
2189| Division No. 156.] | AYES. | [3.59 P.m. |
| Adkins, Sir W. Ryland D. | Fremantle, Lieut.-Colonel Francis E. | Molson, Major John Elsdale |
| Agg-Gardner, Sir James Tynte | Gilbert, James Daniel | Morrison, Hugh |
| Allen, Lieut.-Colonel William James | Gould, James C. | Mosley, Oswald |
| Archdale, Edward Mervyn | Goulding, Rt. Hon. Sir Edward A. | Nicholl, Commander Sir Edward |
| Atkey, A. R. | Gray, Major Ernest (Accrington) | Nicholson, William G. (Petersfield) |
| Bagley, Captain E. Ashton | Green, Albert (Derby) | Perkins, Walter Frank |
| Barrie, Charles Coupar | Greenwood, William (Stockport) | Pickering, Lieut.-Colonel Emil W. |
| Barton, Sir William (Oldham) | Gritten, W. G. Howard | Rae, H. Norman |
| Bell, Lieut.-Col. W. C. H. (Devizes) | Guinness, Lieut.-Col. Hon. W. E. | Raw, Lieutenant-Colonel N. |
| Bigland, Alfred | Gwynne, Rupert S. | Remer, J. R. |
| Boles, Lieut.-Colonel D. F. | Hailwood, Augustine | Roundell, Colonel R. F. |
| Brittain, Sir Harry | Hall, Lieut.-Col. Sir F. (Dulwich) | Samuel, A. M. (Surrey, Farnham) |
| Brown, T. W. (Down, North) | Hambro, Captain Angus Valdemar | Sprat, Colonel Sir Alexander |
| Burdon, Colonel Rowland | Hanna, George Boyle | Stanton, Charles B. |
| Burn, Col. C. R. (Devon, Torquay) | Hoare, Lieut.-Colonel Sir S. J. G. | Starkey, Captain John R. |
| Clay, Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Spender | Hope, J. D. (Berwick & Haddington) | Stewart, Gershom |
| Clough, Robert | Hopkins, John W. W. | Strauss, Edward Anthony |
| Cobb, Sir Cyril | Howard, Major S. G. | Surtees, Brigadier-General H. C. |
| Conway, Sir W. Martin | Hunter-Weston, Lieut.-Gen. Sir A. G. | Sutherland, Sir William |
| Davies, Sir David Sanders (Denbigh) | Hurd, Percy A. | Wheler, Lieut.-Colonel C. H. |
| Dawes, Commander | Hurst, Lieut.-Colonel Gerald B. | White, Lieut.-Col. G. D. (Southport) |
| Denniss, Edmund R. B. (Oldham) | Lister, Sir R. Ashton | Whitla, Sir William |
| Du Pre, Colonel William Baring | Locker-Lampson, G. (Wood Green) | |
| Farquharson, Major A. C. | Loseby, Captain C. E. | TELLERS FOR THE AYES.— |
| Fell, Sir Arthur | Mallalieu, F. W. | Lieut.-Colonel Archer-Shee and |
| Fildes, Henry | Middlebrook, Sir William | Lieut.-Colonel Buchanan. |
| NOES. | ||
| Astbury, Lieut.-Commander F. W. | Barnes, Major H. (Newcastle, E.) | Barrie, Rt. Hon. H. T. (Lon'derry, N.) |
| Astor, Viscountess | Barnston, Major Harry | Beckett, Hon. Gervase |
| Bellairs, Commander Carlyon W. | Hayday, Arthur | Pratt, John William |
| Benn, Captain Wedgwood (Leith) | Hayward, Major Evan | Prescott, Major W. H. |
| Bentinck, Lord Henry Cavendish | Henry, Denis S. (Londonderry, S.) | Purchase, H. G. |
| Bird, Sir A. (Wolverhampton, West) | Herbert, Hon. A. (Somerset, Yeovil) | Raeburn, Sir William H. |
| Blake, Sir Francis Douglas | Hills, Major John Waller | Rankin, Captain James S. |
| Borwick, Major G. O. | Hinds, John | Rees, Capt. J. Tudor- (Barnstaple) |
| Bowerman, Rt. Hon. Charles W. | Hope, Sir H. (Stirling & Cl'ckm'nn'n,W.) | Richardson, Alexander (Gravesend) |
| Bowyer, Captain G. E. W. | Hopkinson, A. (Lancaster, Mossley) | Richardson, R. (Houghton-le-Spring) |
| Boyd-Carpenter, Major A. | Hotchkin, Captain Stafford Vere | Roberts, Sir S. (Sheffield, Ecclesall) |
| Bramsdon, Sir Thomas | Illingworth, Rt. Hon. A. H. | Robertson, John |
| Bridgeman, William Clive | Irving, Dan | Robinson, S. (Brecon and Radnor) |
| Bromfield, William | Johnstone, Joseph | Rodger, A. K. |
| Brown, Captain D. C. | Jones, Sir Evan (Pembroke) | Rose, Frank H. |
| Brown, James (Ayr and Bute) | Jones, Henry Haydn (Merioneth) | Rothschild, Lionel de |
| Bull, Rt. Hon. Sir William James | Jones, William Kennedy (Hornsey) | Royce, William Stapleton |
| Campbell, J. D. G. | Kenworthy, Lieut.-Commander J. M. | Samuel, Rt. Hon. Sir H. (Norwood) |
| Casey, T. W. | Knight, Major E. A. (Kidderminster) | Sanders, Colonel Sir Robert A. |
| Cecil, Rt. Hon. Lord R. (Hitchin) | Lambert, Rt. Hon. George | Seager, Sir William |
| Chamberlain, Rt. Hn. J. A. (Birm., W.) | Lane-Fox, G. R. | Seely, Major-General Rt. Hon. John |
| Chamberlain, N. (Birm., Ladywood) | Larmor, Sir Joseph | Shaw, Hon. Alex. (Kilmarnock) |
| Child, Brigadier-General Sir Hill | Lawson, John J. | Simm, M. T. |
| Cowan, D. M. (Scottish Universities) | Lewis, Rt. Hon. J. H (Univ., Wales) | Stanley, Major H. G. (Preston) |
| Craig, Colonel Sir J. (Down, Mid) | Lewis, T. A. (Glam., Pontypridd) | Steel, Major S. Strang |
| Craik, Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Lloyd, George Butler | Sugden, W. H. |
| Davidson, Major-General Sir J. H. | Lowe, Sir Francis William | Swan, J. E. |
| Davies, Alfred Thomas (Lincoln) | Macdonald, Rt. Hon. John Murray | Sykes, Sir Charles (Huddersfield) |
| Davies, Major D. (Montgomery) | McLaren, Robert (Lanark, Northern) | Taylor, J. |
| Davies, Thomas (Cirencester) | Maclean, Rt. Hn. Sir D. (Midlothian) | Terrell, George (Wilts, Chippenham) |
| Davison, Sir W. H. (Kensington, S.) | M'Micking, Major Gilbert | Thomas, Brig.-Gen. Sir O. (Anglesey) |
| Dewhurst, Lieut.-Commander Harry | McNeill, Ronald (Kent, Canterbury) | Thomson, T. (Middlesbrough, West) |
| Dixon, Captain Herbert | Mildmay, Colonel Rt. Hon. F. B. | Thorne, G. R. (Wolverhampton, E.) |
| Doyle, N. Grattan | Moles, Thomas | Tickler, Thomas George |
| Eyres-Monsell, Commander B. M. | Moreing, Captain Algernon H. | Townley, Maximilian G. |
| Facie, Major Sir Bertram G. | Murray, Lieut.-Colonel A. (Aberdeen) | Waddington, R. |
| Flannery, Sir James Fortescue | Murray, Dr. D. (Inverness & Ross) | Walton, J. (York, W. R., Don Valley) |
| Foreman, Henry | Murray, John (Leeds, West) | Ward-Jackson, Major C. L. |
| Foxcroft, Captain Charles Talbot | Myers, Thomas | Ward, Col. L. (Kingston-upon-Hull) |
| Fraser, Major Sir Keith | Nall, Major Joseph | Waring, Major Walter |
| Galbraith, Samuel | Neal, Arthur | Wason, John Cathcart |
| Gange, E. Stanley | Newman, Sir R. H. S. D. L. (Exeter) | White, Charles F. (Derby, Western) |
| Gardiner, James | Norman, Major Rt. Hon. Sir Henry | Wigan, Brig.-Gen. John Tyson |
| Gardner, Ernest | O'Neill, Major Hon. Robert W. H. | Williams, Col. P. (Middlesbrough, E.) |
| Gibbs, Colonel George Abraham | Ormsby-Gore, Captain Hon. W. | Wills, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Gilbert |
| Gilmour, Lieut.-Colonel John | Palmer, Major Godfrey Mark | Wilson, Rt. Hon. J. W. (Stourbridge) |
| Glyn, Major Ralph | Parry, Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Henry | Wood, Major M. M. (Aberdeen, C.) |
| Gott, Sir R. Park | Pearce, Sir William | Young, Lieut.-Com. E. H. (Norwich) |
| Graham, W. (Edinburgh, Central) | Peel, Col. Hon. S. (Uxbridge, Mddx.) | Young, Sir Frederick W. (Swindon) |
| Hacking, Captain Douglas H. | Pennefather, De Fonblanque | Young, W. (Perth & Kinross, Perth) |
| Hall, Rr-Adml Sir W. (Liv'pl, W.D'by) | Percy, Charles | |
| Hallas, Eldred | Pilditch, Sir Philip | TELLERS FOR THE NOES.— |
| Hancock, John George | Pinkham, Lieut.-Colonel Charles | Mr. Palmer and Captain Elliot. |
| Harmsworth, Hon. E. C. (Kent) | Pownall, Lieut.-Colonel Assheton |