The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-19

tics and craftsmanship, it makes all the differ
ence in the world whether you take the bull
by the horns or by the tail. Earl Derby
and Mr.. Disraeli have a keen perception of
this difference, and have put themselves in
fair way to guide the animal instead of being
gored 10y him. The introduction into the Re-
toIm bill OF the principle of minority represen-
tation is also concession to progressive ten
denotes made in the hope of its 'proftng ths
aristocraoy. The new Reform bill puts pro-
perty and intelligence in the minority, and 50
the Lords evince great alacrity in adopting a
principle which enables the minority to elec.
some members of Parliament
Some American newspapers speak of Lori
Cairns successful amendment as if it embo-
died the principle of cumulative voting. This
is erroneous. Lord Cairns speech introducing
the amendment should have saved everybody
from this mistake, for he in one passage con-
trasts his proposal with the cumulative vote.
The essence of the cumulative scheme is, that
an elector may give more than one vote for
one person; as, for example, when three mem-
bers are to be elected, the elector may, if he
chooses, instead of giving one vote to each of
three candidates, give three votes to one. II is
from this concentration or accumulation upon
one candidate of votes by the same elector that
the scheme takes its name of cumulative
voting. Lord Cairns amendment to the Reform
bill is of quite a different complexion. By it.
the privileges of the individual voter are not
enlarged, but abridged Instead of enabling
an electOr to give his three votes to one candi-
date, it merely takes one of his three votes
away. 1t does this, and does nothing else.
The two votes that remain to him must be
given to separate candidates, the same as his
three votes would have been if Lord Cairns
amendment had not deprived him of one of
them.
The ostensible object, or pretext, of Lord
Cairns in proposing this amendment was not
so much the representation of minorities as
the equalization of political power among
the several constituencies. The greater part
of the constituencies send only two members;
but there will be eleven constituencies which
will send three members each. AS voter in
one of these last would have share in three
members of Parliament, while in an ordinary
constituency he has a share in only two, Lord
Cairns artfully proposed to reduce the in
equality by allowing each elector in what he
called the ''three-cornered constituencies" to
vote for only two members, the same as the
others. Putting the amendment on this ground
may not have been disingenuous, but it was GER
tainly dexterous, as tending to conceal the real
purpose which was to recover to the aristocracy
by the amendment part of what it loses by
the bill. The bill makes the ''wages classi'
predominant in all the great centres of indus
try. The amendment takes away one of the
three members they would otherwise elect
and makes restitution of him to the higher
classes. 1t is not meant as step forward to
more advanced liberalism, but a step back
ward from the concessions made in the Re-
form bill This is the reason why the Lords
so promptly supported it; and this, perhaps
explains why the Government opposed it,
The Government which intends to make poli
tical capital out of the Reform bill. could not
afford to incur the imputation of wishing to
back out OF part of it. la.O
In the so-called three-cornered constituen-
= -
three members, and a minority will have a
chance of electing the third. If the system is
found to work well, the number of three.
membered constituencies. will probably be
largely increased. Thus a great reform bids
fair to get handsome start by the reactionarv
tendencies of an ancient aristocracy. II will
not be the nrst time In the history of human
affairs that men have 'builded wiser than thew
knew III -
The success of minority representation in
England will more and more draw attention
to the necessity of its introduction. in some
shape, into the United States we believe
that good working plan is yet to be devised:
but OF the fairness of allowing minorities
10 De represented In proportion to their
numbers, there can be no reasonable
question. 1t must be productive of advan-
tages much greater and more solid than
satisfying the sense of fair play. 1t win in
troduoe into our legislative bodies two classes
OF men, now generally excluded, whose in
fuence will be most salutary. One of these
classes will consist of COOL proud men of
great personal independence, who scorn to
play the demagogue by falling in with
the popular delusions of the hour.
Such men could, of course, be out-voted: but'
supposing them to be right, they could NOT
easily be out-argued Their intrepidity and
clearness of head would have a restraipinp
influence at times when the majority were
most prone to run wild in some
temporary flush of passion Another and
still more valuable class who would he
brought into the Legislature by the rebre-
sentation of minorities, are men in advance
OF their time, and therefore condemned bv tbe
majority. The great improvements by which
society is carried forward gather disciDles but
slowly. The adoption of such improvements
would be accelerated by giving their advocates
an opportunity to explain and defend tbem ON
a stage where they would command pnbIio
attention. The ordeal of thorough debate
against wel[equipped antagonists would ex-
giode pseudo reforms, and advance real ones.
we can see nothing but good in minority
representation, if some system can be- fonnd
by which it can be made to work. ID