WCP3021

42 Bessborough Gardens

April 18. [1871]¹

My dear Sir,

I am much obliged by your letter² containing suggestions for obviating the difficult^yies respecting the alternative vote in M^r. Hare's³ scheme.

The great merit in your proposal lies, I think, in the fact that it w[oul]^d completely remove the possibility of the suspicion of unfairness or jobbery [2] on the part of the officers whose duty it would be to open & register the votes. This alone would be of immense practical advantage, for people would never tolerate an electoral system if they suspected that the return of candidates was influenced by favouritism or jobbery on the part of the officials.

On the other hand, however, I do not think it your suggestion removes the practical uncertainty with [3] regard to the disposal of the second vote. It is an apparent rather than a real solution. For instance (supposing 1000 to be the quota) the first 1000 voters who elect A would ^might if A had been already elected, have voted for B; the second thousand voters, vote for A & C, & C is accordingly elected & B rejected[,] tho' each occupies a similar position in the estimation of the electors. Of course such an actual result would be, as you say[,] as improbable as that a day should pass without a death or a birth in G[rea]^t Britain; [4] still the possibility of the resulted approximating even in a remote degree to this supposed case would do much to throw contempt on the whole system.

Again thanking you[,]

Believe me t[o] be my dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Millicent Garrett Fawcett [signature]