The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-08-17
&ithn1ond 1ispahh,
II, 1867.
The Rights Of Minorities.

England has secured reform in her
government which is the great need of
ours. Both Houses oc Parliament havo
adopted measure looking to the repre-
scntation Of minorities. 1t provides that
in counties and boroughs which elect three
members, no person shall vote for more
than two candidates, and in the city of
London, which elects four members, no
person shall vote for more than three can
didatcs. Thirty two members of the con-
ycntion now in session in New York were
elected under the operation of similar
law. The intelligent will sec at once how
such a law will prevent small majority Of
men from packing legislative body with
members Of their own choosing. In the city
Of Richmond, for instance, there are SIX
thousand Radicals and five thousand Con-
scrvatives. If the Radicals band together,
thew can, under our laws, elect all three
of the delegates to the General Assembly.
But under such law as the one just
adopted in England, no person could vote
for more than two candidates, and the re-
suit would be that two members would be
chosen by the Radicals and one by the
Conservatives.
Another plan Of securing the same OBJ
Iceland we arc not sure but it is bet
tcr-is by allowing each man to cast say
three votes, and either to cast them all
for one candidate or divide them among
three. In the case supposed for this city,
the result would be that the Radicals
would cast eighteen thousand votes. If
they voted for three candidates, each OF
the three would receive six thousand
votes, and no more. The Conservatives
would have fifteen thousand votes, and II
thew voted for three candidates, each OF
the three would receive only five thousand
votes: and the result would be, as under
the present system, that all the Radical can
didatcs would be elected. But the Conser-
natives would, of course, cast their fifteen
thousand votes all for one candidate,
while the Radicals would cast their
eighteen thousand for two candidates,
giving them nine thousand each; which
would secure the election of two Radicals
and one Conservative. Such would be
the operation of the new measure in every
instance. If it had been in operation in
the northern States at the time Of their
last elections Of members of Congress, the
Radicals could not have secured thirty
majority in the House of Representatives,
and none Of the Radical reconstruction
measures or negro bills could have been
passed over the Presidents veto. IL 1t
had been in operation in 1861 no southern
State would have had any just ground for
secession: because the votes Of the south
crn members Of Congress added to those
OF the Democrats or State Rights men
whom this measure would have always
kept in Congress from the northern States
would have been sure guarantee against
any wrong or oppression upon the part OF
the larger section Of the Union.
The end proposcd-that Of securing q
iairer representation Of the opinions and
wishes of the constituent bodics-is I'M
gucstionably good one. But whether the
system will work well, only experience
Gun determine. We should like to see it
tried in New York, whose convention is
now in session. Mr.. GREELEY, who is q
member of the convention, is in favor Of
it. But there are so few honest Radicals
such as he is, that we have little hope of
seeing any measure adopted by the con-
vcntion which will not tend to pcrpetuate
Radical ascendancy.