HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Legislative Council elections were held in
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
on 17 April 1899. They were the first elections to take place in the colony and followed the Southern Rhodesia
Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...
of 1898 which granted the colony a
Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...
consisting of at least ten voting members: the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia ''ex officio'', five members nominated by the British South Africa Company, and four members elected by registered voters. The Resident Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia, Sir Marshal James Clarke, also sat on the Legislative Council ''ex officio'' but without the right to vote.


Electoral system

The Order in Council did not set any of the regulations governing the election, which were left to the (acting) High Commissioner for Southern Africa to set the qualifications for voters and delimit the electoral districts, which happened in Proclamation no. 17 of 1898. The acting High Commissioner required voters to be British subjects, male, 21 years of age and older, able to write their address and occupation, and then to fulfil the following financial requirements: (a) ownership of a registered mining claim in Southern Rhodesia, or (b) occupying immovable property worth £75, or (c) receiving wages or salary of £50 per annum in Southern Rhodesia. Six months' continuous residence was also required for qualifications b and c. All voters were entered onto a common roll. With only four members to be elected, the Acting High Commissioner decided to have two districts,
Mashonaland Mashonaland is a region in northeastern Zimbabwe. It is home to nearly half of the population of Zimbabwe. The majority of the Mashonaland people are from the Shona tribe while the Zezuru and Korekore dialects are most common. Harare is the larg ...
and
Matabeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi ...
, each returning two members. The election was conducted under rules first set down for
Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...
in 1892 with a secret ballot. No political parties were in existence at the time of the election so each candidate stood on their own record.


Results


By-election

William Fairbridge, defeated in Mashonaland, lodged an election petition after the declaration of the result, alleging that Raleigh Grey's election agents were involved in misconduct during the election. Before the hearing commenced, Grey resigned from the Council feeling that his presence was corrupted. The election court found that Grey's agents had indulged in
bribery Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...
and '
treating In law and politics, treating is the act of serving food, drink, and other refreshments to influence people for political gain, often shortly before an election. In various countries, treating is considered a form of corruption, and is illegal ...
' (providing free food and drink for voters) at a smoking concert, and invalidated his earlier election, but as Grey was no longer a member, this had no effect. In the meantime, nominations for the byelection closed on August 21, 1899 and Grey was again nominated. With no other candidate in the field he was therefore returned unopposed.


Nominated members

The members nominated by the British South Africa Company were: * Mr Justice Joseph Vintcent, Senior Judge of the High Court (provisionally) * Sir Thomas Charles Scanlen KCMG, Legal Adviser * Joseph Millerd Orpen, Surveyor-General * Townshend Griffin, Commissioner of Mines and Public Works * Herbert Hayton Castens, Chief Secretary Sir Thomas Scanlen stood down and was replaced by John Gilbert Kotzé, Attorney General, on August 9, 1900. Mr Justice Vintcent stood down and was replaced by Clarkson Henry Tredgold on June 28, 1901. Townshend Griffin was absent for a time and was replaced by James Hutchinson Kennedy on June 28, 1901.


References

* ''Source Book of Parliamentary Elections and Referenda in Southern Rhodesia 1898-1962'' ed. by F.M.G. Willson (Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland,
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
1963) * ''Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894-1964'' by F.M.G. Willson and G.C. Passmore (Source Book no. 3, Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury, 1966) * ''Official Year Book of the Colony of Southern Rhodesia'', No. 1 - 1924, Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia {{Zimbabwean elections
Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...
Elections in Southern Rhodesia
Legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...
Non-partisan elections