ual
candidates of the same party; any candidate resorting to bribery in
order to increase his chance of election would do so partly at the
expense of the other candidates of his own party, who would immediately
denounce him. Instead of being forced to conciliate selfish factions,
the candidates would be free to appeal for the support of the unselfish
sections.

+Continual Change in Electoral Boundaries.+--The irregular growth of
population necessitates a periodical revision of the electoral
boundaries of single-membered electorates. Owing to the influence of
vested interests, this is generally effected in an arbitrary manner; and
the glaring anomalies only are rectified. We have in Victoria at the
present day some country electorates with 6,000 electors on the rolls
and others with only 1,500. An elector in the latter has four times the
voting power of an elector in the former. The process of alteration of
the boundaries offers great temptation to unfairness; and in American
politics the opportunity is taken full advantage of by a practice which
has received the name of the gerrymander. In his work on "Proportional
Representation" Professor Commons writes:--

It is difficult to express the opprobrium rightly belonging to so
iniquitous a practice as the gerrymander; but its enormity is not
appreciated, just as brutal prize-fighting is not reprobated
providing it be fought according to the rules. Both political
parties practise it, and neither can condemn the other. They simply
do what is natural: make the most of their opportunities as far as
permitted by the constitution and system under which both are
working. The gerrymander is not produced by the iniquity of
parties, it is the outcome of the district system. If
representatives are elected in this way there must be some public
authority for outlining the districts. And who shall be the judge
to say where the line shall be drawn? Exact equality is impossible,
and who shall set the limit beyond which inequality shall not be
pressed? Every apportionment act that has been passed in this or
any other country has involved inequality; and it would be absurd
to ask a political party to pass such an act and give the advantage
of the inequality to the opposite party. Consequently, every
apportionment act involves more or less of the gerrymander. The
gerrymander is simply such a thou