The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

JANUARY 7, 1854.

and nominating candidates. Now, persnal
influence, where it depends on private
character and conduct, is the most valuable
safeguard we have against an unwise choice
of representatives, and the most perfectly-
organised party is generally that which holds
most estreme opinions. Both these objections
seem fatal.
The third method is called by the writer the
" Cumulative Vote "—a name which accurately
describes its nature. By this system each
elector is allowed to possess as many votes as
there are representatives to be chosen by his
constituency, with leave to give them all to
one candidate, or distribute them at will :
This plan of voting has the recommendation of giving to
each elector a very perfect power of expressing by his
votes his exact opinions us he finds them best represented
by one or more of the candidates. The single vote does
not so effectually accomplish this object. We will take the
instance of a large and important constituency, having four
representatives, for which seats, in the event of a contest,
there would probably be six, seven, or eight candidates.
Atter each elector has been called upon to listen to the
opinions and judge of the fitness of so many claimants for
his vote, he might feel many justifiable reasons for wishing
to Note for more than one candidate. The cumulative vote
would enable him to voto for one or for more as he pleases,
without incurring the loss entailed by the present mode of
voting, where a plumper counts only as one vote ; so that,
in a constituency having four representatives, an elector
giving a plumper vote
,loses threelourthe of his voting
power.
And whilst under the present system parties are con-
stantly hampered by the less enlightened of their voters,
who are anxious to exercise to the uttermost their
electoral privileges, and will by no means be content to
resign their double vote, and give a plumper to the right
man, but will rather cancel their own act by voting on
both sides, thus frequently compelling their party to bring
out a second candidate, and so endanger the return of the
first ; the cumulative vote, allowing the same amount of
weight to each man's voice into whatever scale he may
please to throw it, removes his temptation to a course
which is both mischievous and contrary to principle.

An additional recommendation of this plan
is its tendency to exalt personal above party
claims. Suppose three members to be eligible
for a county or borough : there arc six candi-
dates, three Liberals against three Conserva-
tives ; the mere partisan on each side will of
course divide his three votes between the three
claimants equally ; but the more reflecting
and independent elector may very probably
prefer to secure the return of some one whom
he respects, comparatively indifferent to the
fate of the other two. This is a wise and rea-
sonable discrimination, and as such merits
encouragement.
The political importance of representing
minorities needs no comment. The unrepre-
sented are necessarily discontented; hopeless of
realising their views in practice, they carry them
theoretically to an extreme length ; whereas the
prospect of success would at once lighten
grievances, and foster a spirit of conciliation.
Again, the tendency of popular movements
everywhere is to go too fast and too far—to
disregard all difficulties in the first fervour of
enthusiasm, and when that is cooled to aban-
don projects as lightly as they have been
formed. Whatever retards, without wholly
checking, the action of the popular will—what-
ever gives time for deliberation, for discussion,
for calm second thought—tends to make repre-
sentative government more stable, and thus to
strengthen and support it against the great
coming struggle.