CHAPTER LXVX. THE
GENERAL
ELECTIONS.
SYNOPSIS:—The Melbourne Election.—The First Legislative Council Chamber. —The First Council Establishment.— Mr. John Barker, First Clerk of the Council. —Captain Conron, First Sergeant-at-Arms.—The Parliament Library.—The First Legislature. —The First Meeting.—Dr. J. F. Palmer, First Speaker. —The Opening Day.— The First Legislative " Row."—Fight Over the Lords Prayer. —The First Prorogation Ceremony.—The Thirty Pioneers. —The First Legislatorial Death.—Elevation of Redmond Barry and W. F. Stawell. — The Bicameral Legislature.—Dr. ralmcr, First President of Council.—Mr. Murphy, First Speaker of House of Assembly.— Political Knighthood.
,,|Y "The Victoria Electoral Act, 1851," it was enacted that the Legislative Council of Victoria should consist of thirty members, one-third to be appointed by Her Majesty, and the residue elected. The colony was divided into sixteen electoral districts, of which the City of
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Melbourne was to return three members, the T o w n of Geelong and the Northern Division of the County of Bourke two members each, and every other District one member each. Bribery was defined to be, " the giving by candidate or agent of money, or any article whatever, to any elector with a view to influence his vote; or the holding out to him any promise or expectation of profit, advancement, etc., or to any of his family or friends; or the making use of any threat, or intimidating any voter, or supplying voter with meat, drink, lodging, horse or carriage hire, or conveyance by steam or otherwise at, coming to, or going from, election; paying voter money for acting or joining in any procession; the keeping, or allowing to be kept open any public-house, shop, booth, or tent, or place of entertainment, whether refreshment of any kind be distributed there or not; the giving of any dinner, supper, breakfast, etc., at any place by a candidate, etc. . The polling was not to extend beyond one day, and the voting was by an open ballot or slip of paper. Various contingencies were provided for, and several of the clauses were a re-enactment of the Colonial Electoral Law previously in force. Thefirstmember returned (6th September), was Mr. Adolphus Goldsmith for the United Counties of Ripon, Hampden, Grenville, and Polwarth. H e was opposed by Mr. James Thompson, and obtaining a show of hands, neither Thompson nor six electors for him being present to demand a poll, the event was a " walk-over." THE MELBOURNE ELECTION.
The number of electors on the Roll was :—Gipps Ward, 1063; Latrobe Ward, 750; Fitzroy Ward, 652; Lonsdale Ward, 630; Bourke Ward, 556; Total, 3651. The nomination took place in the porch of the old Supreme Court in Latrobe Street on the ioth September, 1851, and the candidates proposed were .-—Messrs. James Stewart Johnston, George Ward Cole, William Westgarth, John Hodgson, A. F. A. Greeves, William Nicholson, and John O'Shanassy. The poll, fixed for the following day (nth), was held at the following places, viz.:—Bourke W a r d — Crown Hotel, Lonsdale Street; Latrobe W a r d — Bull and Mouth Hotel, Bourke Street; Gipps Ward—Say's Hotel, Lonsdale Street; Lonsdale W a r d — T h e Imperial Inn, Collins Street; Fitzroy W a r d — T h e Crown and Anchor, Charles Street. A good deal of hard work was done in the way of vote-coaxing and hunting in the city; a " dead-set" was made to oust O'Shanassy, and national and religious jealousies were invoked as allies. O'Shanassy was now fairly in the front, as probably the ablest public m a n of the time, and
