Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-07-31

ment. A member of Congress IN district
of q, 600 voters may be chosen by two major
ity, and the representative elected is pre-
sumed to be the exponent of the principles
and wishes of the triumphant 1O,OOl, and
not of the defeated 1899 This is an ex-
IRENE case but it illustrates the principle.
The state of New York, in which the Re-
publican majority is only about 10000, is
represented at Washington by two Republic
ans in the Senate, and by representatives of
whom a large majority are Republicans.
New Hampshire has an entire Republican
delegation in Congress, although nearly one
half of the votes cast at the last election
were given for Democratic candidates.
Those who advocate minority representa-
'ton would remedy this alleged unfairness
by eIecting members of Congress. and men,
bcrs of state legislatures, either by general
ticket, or by districts large enough to claim
more than two representatives. In New
Hampshire, for instance, they would have the
three members of Congress elected by general
tickets. Every voter would have the right
to vote ticket with three names printed on
it; and he could repeat the name three
times, thus giving three votes for one person,
he could vote for three different persons.
If Democrat, he would probably cast his
three votes for one person, and if a Repub-
lican, he would vote for two or three candi-
dates and if every Democrat in the state
should cast three votes for the same person,
they would elect that person, as he would
certainly stand as high third on the poll
whether the Republicans voted for three can
didates or only two. In this way the Demo-
Gratis Of New Hampshire would secure at
least one Representative in Congress.
This, in brief, is the theory of minority
representation. In practice, it is apparent
that it would not give minorities a repre-
Sentation proportional to their vote in all
cases, but it would give a nearer approxima-
ton u such a fair proportion than the
present method. Of course, it could not be
made available in the election Of President,
1r governors, or United States senators, but
it might be put in practice in choosing repre-
sentatives in Congress and members of state
legislatures by general ticket and in coun-
ties, cities and towns in the election of all
Ulcers of which there are more than two
Of the same kind.
Whether, in practice, any great advantage
would be derived from this representation
mas been doubted and it is claimed by the I
opponents of the project that minorities have,
under the majority system of representation,
al the rights they fairly ent tiled to /;
that, in short, the majority of a Congress, or
IF a state legislature, elected by this method, /
would still be- like the majority of the people /
who elected them and that, in the end, the .
majority rule with the minority fully repre-
scented would be little if any different from
what it is now Undoubtedly to a certain ex-
tent this is correct, especially in cases where /
the executive and the legislature are in the .
control Of the same party; but a minority
might be effective where a
-wo-thirds vote is required 1t woulI GER
ainly be decided obstacle in the way of
egislation if the majority were not entirely
greed; and within the last two years a
congress elected upon this plan would hardly
ave oyerrden presidential vetoes as easily
Is has been done by the present national
egislatuee- We do not expect to see it /.
peediiy adopted anywhere, but we should
e quite willing to have its merits fairly
ested