Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

James Martin - letter to the Electors of South Sydney, between 1890 and 1894
MLMSS 5736

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G.P.O 122
TELEPHONE 41
CABLE ADDRESS "RELIABLE"

SHOW ROOMS, 81, YORK ST.
JAMES MARTIN & COMPY.
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS &C.
 
Sydney ..........189....

To the Electors of South Sydney

Gentlemen:- By electing me as your Representative in the last Parliament you conferred on me the highest honour that any body of men can confer on one of themselves. No man could appreciate more highly that honour nor strive to faithfully discharge the duties of that position more than I have, and I confidently ask you to again express your faith in me by according me both your influence and your vote.
My public life both in Parliament and the City Council is well known to you, and I am assured that a large majority of the Electors of South Sydney view with

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favour my Public acts & my endeavours to secure the "Equal rights of all".
As I shall have many opportunities of speaking to you before polling day I shall only briefly touch on the more important questions that are at present agitating the public mind.-I shall if Elected-
Continue to advocate the control by the state or local Governing body of such works as Railways, Tramways, Water supply and Public lighting & thus practically place the control of these matters in the hands of the people.
It is within your knowledge that I succesfully resisted the first attempt made by a Syndicate to get control of our struts for Tramway purposes.
I also was succesful in getting "The Betterment principle" embodied in the Moore St. Bill, by which the Citizens have been saved £108,000. & the property owners who benefited by the improvement are made to pay portion of the cost of such improvement.
These two acts clearly show that I live up to what I claim is a just principle - "The

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Government of the people for the people & by the people" - I shall if Elected advocate Federation of the Australian Colonies, on a broad just & National basis; always making the proposed measure subject not only to the decision of our Parliament, but to the vote of the people of our Colony as a whole.
Freetrade I am and always have been a consistent advocate of freedom of trade and nothing will give me greater pleasure than to record my vote in favour of abolishing many of the duties which at present disgrace our tariff. To make up revenue consequent on the abolishing of those duties I shall advocate a small tax on the unimproved value of land, so as to give back to the people a small portion of the increased value that has been practically made a present to the fortunate owners of land.
One man one vote. I accept this principle in its entirety & have placed it first on the platform that I have issued to the Electors of South Sydney as my manifesto. Elective Upper House. I shall with pleasure support this much needed change

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Registration of Voters and transfer of votes shall have my hearty and earnest support.
Local Option. I shall support the Liquor licensing amendment Act of the Government & consider that the Liquor traffic is one of the many questions which should be submitted to the people and decided by their vote.
Labour. I can truthfully claim to be as much in touch with, and to have as much genuine sympathy for, the working man as any candidate offering for any constituency; and I shall continue to use every fair means of improving the position of the working classes, feeling sure that now public attention is directed to the question needed reforms will be made, and the just rights of labour will receive more favourable consideration.

I am
faithfully yours

James Martin