Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/363




 * Be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of Natal, as follows:


 * 1. Save as in Section 2 of this Act excepted, persons of Asiatic Extraction shall not be qualified to have their names inserted in any List of Electors or in any Voters’ Roll or to vote as Electors within the meaning of Section 22 of the Constitution Act of 1893, or of any law relating to the election of members of the Legislative Assembly.


 * 2. The provisions of Section I of this Act shall not apply to persons of the class mentioned in that Section whose names are rightly contained in any Voters’ Roll in force at the date of the promulgation of this Act, and who are otherwise competent and qualified as electors.


 * 3. This Act shall not come into operation unless and until the Governor notifies by Proclamation in the Natal Government Gazette that it is Her Majesty’s pleasure not to disallow the same, and thereafter it shall come into operation upon such day as the Governor shall notify by the same or any other Proclamation.

A Memorial setting forth the views of the Indian community in reference to the Bill under discussion was presented to the Legislative Assembly on the 28th day of April, 1896. A copy thereof is hereto annexed marked ‘A’.

On the 6th day of May, 1896, the Bill was read a second time. During the course of his speech, the Prime Minister, the Honourable Sir John Robinson, said that the Ministers had taken steps to ascertain whether you would be agreeable to an insertion in the aforesaid Bill of the words “founded on the franchise” after “Elective representative institutions” and that you were so agreeable.

Thereupon, on the 7th day of May, 1896, your Memorialists sent to Your Honour a cablegram to the following effect:


 * The Indian community earnestly request you not to accept Natal Franchise Bill or Ministerial alteration thereof proposed last night; memorial preparing.

In Committee, however, the Honourable Sir John Robinson announced on the 11th day of May, 1896, that Your Honour had agreed to a further addition viz, ‘Parliamentary’ between ‘the’ and ‘franchise’.