No. 514.
Mr. Bell
to Mr. Bayard.
The Hague, December 6, 1886. [Received December 20.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that Mr. Heemskeik, the chief of the cabinet, has presented on behalf of the Government, to the second chambers of the States-General, a new project for revision of article 76 of the constitution, respecting the electoral franchise. The proposed project requires that the electors shall have certain property qualifications and imposes other restrictions, which will be denned in an electoral law to be introduced later.
Mr. Heemskerk, in explaining the motives which prompted the Government to present the proposed modifications, expressly declared that it was the intention of the Government to preclude the possibility of the introduction of universal suffrage, adding that to be an elector a person should be of a certain capacity and of a certain well-being.
For the purpose of giving immediate application to the new condition the Government added to the proposed project a provisional electoral bill based on an extension of the present franchise, by which the number of members of the second chambers will be raised from 86 to 100, and of the first chamber to 50.
The number of electors will be increased from 136,000 to 300,000.
I have, etc.,