17 Chapter 17: Election Results

After listening to Arthur's speech, the people around burst into enthusiastic cheers and applause, including Martin and Harris.

People in this era were naturally unaware of making unrealistic promises, and unknowingly they were gratefully enjoying the pie Arthur had painted.

However, Arthur did have the ability to achieve everything he planned, and the pie was about to become a reality.

"Everyone, I know that many of you who have participated in the election do not have a clear election goal. Perhaps, like Martin, you want to participate more in the development and construction of the country, improve the living standards and economic income of all our compatriots. Some, like Harris, have seen the miserable conditions of the underprivileged at the bottom of this country and want to make efforts and changes for this. No matter what kind of goal you have, being a member of the Lower House of Parliament is a very important and powerful position. I hope that after being successfully elected, you will not forget your original intention and seek benefits for the country, government, and all Australians. Of course, those who fail in the election should not be discouraged. There will be an election every two years, and they will always succeed as long as they learn from their experiences and lessons." Arthur said solemnly, looking at the crowd.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The group of people responded very neatly, as if they had a tacit understanding with Arthur.

"Of course, being a member of the national parliament is not the only way to contribute to the development and construction of the country. Even as a civilian, as long as everyone works hard and abides by the law, it is contributing to the development and construction of the country, right? As long as all Australians are united, Australia will be the greatest country, and Australians will be the greatest nation." Arthur said with a smile.

This slightly nationalistic speech won the welcome and respect of all Australians.

Although Australians were a new nation born from the coexistence of Western immigrants and indigenous people, it did not mean that Australians considered themselves inferior.

Australia has always lacked an ambitious leader, and now Arthur has come. Australians will also flourish under his leadership.

"Of course, all of this cannot be achieved by your participation and efforts alone. The royal family and government also need to make changes in order for the country to become stronger and the people's living standards to improve significantly," Arthur threw out the final trump card and spoke loudly, "Therefore, as your monarch, after learning that there are still many poor people in Australia who cannot afford medical treatment or education, I have decided to take action: from now on, the royal family will establish the Royal Aid Committee, selecting a group of officials who are loyal to the royal family and the people to serve under my personal supervision, responsible for assisting low-income Australians who cannot afford medical treatment or education. I will invest five million pounds as the activity fund for the Aid Committee, and promise to allocate at least one million pounds to the committee every year. I hope that all Australians can live without being ravaged by harsh weather, hunger, or disease, and can afford clothing, food, medical treatment, and education. Although the rise of Australia currently appears to be just empty talk, I am still willing to make efforts for it. All Australians, do you want to work together with your Duke to build this great country, and let Australians and Australia stand at the top of the world together?"

Arthur's words can be described as a stone stirring up a thousand layers of waves. In this country where the per capita annual income is less than 10 pounds, the five million pounds invested by Arthur is definitely a huge sum of money.

More importantly, what Arthur said is, in the eyes of Australians, that he is definitely a monarch who respects and cares for all Australians, and is the perfect Duke in the hearts of Australians.

"Willing! Willing!"

For a while, the cheers of the crowd shook the sky, making it difficult to distinguish whether this was a scene from a parliamentary election or Arthur's speech.

Subsequently, the cheers of the crowd gradually turned into "Long live His Royal Highness! Long live Australia!"

With the Duke in front and Australia behind, it is enough to see how much these Australians love their monarch, even though Arthur has only been crowned for a few months.

Unconsciously, Arthur's popularity among the Australian people has far surpassed the prime ministers of the several colonies, who are now the governors of several states.

"It is a good thing for the development of Australia, as a country's development only needs one voice. With Arthur's foresight for future generations, Australians do not need anyone to come out and sing a different tune.

"Alright, gentlemen, continue with your elections! I look forward to some of you becoming the official members of the country when the results of the election are officially announced by the Lower House." Arthur was very satisfied with the crowd's response and left the parliament amid cheers.

After a long time, the crowd gradually regained order and continued with the elections that should have gone smoothly.

Compared to before, the enthusiasm of the people participating in the elections and voting had greatly increased. Everyone had an excited and enthusiastic smile on their faces, which was enough to show that Arthur's speech was indeed very successful.

May 25, 1900, Sydney, New South Wales Parliament.

After a short but long seven-day election period, the first election of the Australian Lower House was finally completed relatively successfully.

However, because Arthur's speech was spread by newspapers throughout Australia, the enthusiasm of all Australians participating in the elections and voting had greatly increased, making the data more difficult to tally than estimated.

With the hard work of many officials working overtime for several days, the final results of the first election of the Lower House were finally calculated.

Today is May 25, and it is the planned date for announcing the election results.

Early in the morning before dawn, the entrance of the State Parliament was already crowded with people waiting for the results to be announced. As time passed, the crowd continued to increase rapidly, even causing slight congestion on the road in front of the parliament.

Everyone was waiting for the final list of members, even if many people knew that they were likely to have failed in their campaigns, they still held a glimmer of hope, what if the goddess of luck had extra favor on them today?

At eight o'clock in the morning, the doors of the State Parliament finally opened.

Two guards walked out with a list and looked at the crowd, saying loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the results of the election are here. After I finish reading all the names, the municipal government will notify each successful candidate. Please quiet down now and let everyone hear all the names."