320
MY LIFE IN TWO HEMISPHERES
him that manhood suffrage sent us an unexpectedly bad class of representatives sometimes; he replied that he knew no system under which this misfortune could be avoided."
I added that it would be unjust to hold Mr. Bright responsible for amendments in the Victorian tariff, but if, as he admits, the State may properly appropriate a sum of money to introduce a new culture into a country, it was no longer a question of principle, but simply a question of discretion whether it was better to make the experiment in one case or in several cases.
This controversy is introduced somewhat before its time, as the advice I obtained at home influenced my action in the Government about to be formed.