The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-02-21
= Plan fO. Minority Represent
HfiGEs

In an article last week we aver.ed to the
great inequality Of political representation
in this county. by which great minorities
have few OF no representatives in Con-
gress. in the Electoral College, or in the
State legislatures. Thus 2l5, 600 Demo
crats IN Ohio have but three Coz gre.smen.
while 245 600 Republicans have sixteen
members. In 1852, $50 .000 Democrats
in this State elected fourteen members of
Congress, while 112 900 Republicans had
but five members When President Lin>
coin was chosen in 1860 he had $50 elect
oral votes on Il popular poll Of 1890 600.
Stephen A. Douglas on the contrary, get
but | electoral votes, with 1900 ,000 pops
ular votes. Almost as enormous an inc
quality existed at the late Presidential
election, when Mcclellan and Pendleton
were the candidates for President and
Vice President against Lincoln AM John
sou. In the present Rump House Of Rep
resontatves, 200, 900 Republican votes
have 40 members, while 500, 900 Dem-
ocrats have only 10 members. How shall
such Inequalities be remeJieI? :? The aim
ola true republican government IS to have
all the people represented in it, and not 4
simple majority Members Of Congress
were once elected IN many vf The States by
what was called general ticket that Is,
they ran over the whole State, and the
party that carried it got them all This
was changed to the district system. in or
der to give the minority a prope- repre-
sentation, as it WIS supposed they would
carry their proper share of the districts
But experience has proved this to be d.
lusive In 1851. the American party Of
Ohio, with 10000 votes. carried all the
twenty-one members of Congress, while
the Democrats, with 100000 votes, had
none This immense minority hat not a
Representative in the State Of Ohio.
Now, here is plan that has been sug-
gested. which is fair and equitable, aud
settles every hing upon arthmetical prin>
ciples: Let each party, for instance, in
Ohio, nominate and yole for nineteen men
OF general ticket to represent the State
in the House Of Representatives Of the
'nited States. When the votes are coun>
ted, let the law require Of the Secretary
of State to make an average Of the vote
given for c;.cil ticket. The proportion
that that average bears to the whold num-
Der Of votes cast will indicate how many
members are to be assigned to each ticket.
If one ticket has 250 ,000 votes and the
other has POO ,090, the proportion Of mem
bers would be as eleven to eight. The
eleven highest on the majority tiesct
would recciye their certificates Of election,
and the eight highest on the minority
ticket. By this means each party would
have is due share Of Repre- il
proportion to its votes, and the whole
State of Ohio. and not part Of it, would
be represented in Congress.
If there were more than two parties, ii
woald not affect in the least the workings
of this rule. II there should be 4 fraction
one in each case, let The largest ore have
the benefit oft In Presidential elections
this rule would be admirable, and give to
the minority and majority in each State
what they are entitled to, aud 10 more
1t is tie interest Of all parties to make 4
reform in ,he basis Of representation. ior
each las It's minority as well as majority
clement Gia LRg