the city and suburbs,
which has been so successful a feature of our long campaign for
electoral justice, and at the present time very few of the mayoral
chairs are occupied by men who are not keen supporters of effective
voting.

The Hon. Theodore Bruce's connection with the reform dates from that
year, when he presided at a meeting in the Adelaide Town Hall during
the temporary absence of the Mayor. A consistent supporter of effective
voting from that time, it was only natural that when in May, 1909, the
candidature of Mr. Bruce (who was then and is now a Vice-President of
the league). for a seat in the Legislative Council, gave us an
opportunity for working for his return, against a candidate who had
stated that he was not satisfied with the working of the system of
effective voting, we availed ourselves of it. So much has been written
and said about the attitude of the league with regard to Parliamentary
candidates that, as its President, I feel that I ought to take this
opportunity of stating our reasons for that attitude. From its
inception the league has declined to recognise parties in a contest at
all. Its sole concern has been, and must be to support effective
voters, to whatever party they may belong. To secure the just
representation of the whole electorate of whatever size, is the work of
the Effective Voting League, and, whatever the individual opinions of
the members may be, as an official body they cannot help any candidate
who opposes the reform for which they stand.

I remember meeting at a political meeting during a subsequent general
election a lady whom I had known as an almost rabid Kingstonian. But
the party had failed to find a position for her son in the Civil
Service, although their own sons were in that way satisfactorily
provided for. So she had thrown in her lot with the other side, which
at the time happened to gain a few seats, and the lady was quite sure
that her influence had won the day for her former opponents. Leaning
forward to whisper as if her next remark were too delicate for the ears
of a gentleman sitting near, she said, "Do you know, I don't believe
the Premier has any backbone!" I laughed, and said that I thought most
people held the same belief. To my amusement and astonishment she then
asked quite seriously, "Do you think that is why he stoops so much?"
There was no doubt in her mind that the missing back bone had reference
to the physical and not to the moral malformation