ctive working of a government by a legislature like ours, that
which combines the evils of them all, is one which is urged by
perfectly disinterested advocates of reform, and is known as
proportional representation. If there is one principle at the base
of popular government it is that the majority shall rule. If the
largest of three or four fractions is to rule it ceases to be
popular government, and becomes government by faction. If the
tyranny of the majority is bad a tyranny of the minority is still
worse. (Vol. i., p. 505.)

And the following picture could hardly be better drawn:--

If the basis of carrying on the government is to be the wishes of
some millions of units, it is evident that they must to a greater
or less extent agree in wishing for something. It is equally
evident that they cannot all agree in wishing for the same thing at
the same time, while if they, or any considerable number of groups,
want different things at the same time, the result in so far is
anarchy. Government is paralysed, and with the well-known
excitability of humanity in groups men begin to confound the
importance of the thing wanted with the importance of getting what
they want. The clash of contending factions is apt to suggest the
clash of arms. The first necessity, therefore, is the formation of
large and coherent parties, not merely for the purpose of
accomplishing what is desired by the majority of the people, but
also for suppressing agitation and social disturbance on behalf of
what may be called merely objects of passion or private interest
with comparatively small groups, at least until those objects
enlist the support of a large minority. (Vol. i., pp. 492, 493.)

+Professor Nanson.+--In Victoria the Hare system is championed by Mr.
E.J. Nanson, Professor of Mathematics at Melbourne University. Professor
Nanson approaches the subject entirely from a mathematical standpoint,
and resolutely refuses to admit the factor of human nature into his
calculations. Following Mr. Hare, he is a declared opponent of party
government, and "would like to see it pushed further into the
background." Moreover, he regards every step in the process as an end in
itself. Thus the act of voting is one end, representation is another,
and the rule of the majority a third. Leaving aside for the present,
however, the elaborat