New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-11-29
REORGANIZATION or M1oRIz1ES.

| III Philadelphia on Representative reform by the
! plan known the cumulative vote" is one Of the
most statesmaulike IN its aims Of any now engaging
the attention Of the country Being as yet an almost
w tiled experiment it is impossible to fcresce that it
may not like our electoral college, work ont results
that are wholly unlocked for and that would defeat
it's apparent benefceuce On tho other hand, until
the plan shall be fairly tried, il is, think, impOs
sible 20 f0iesee that any disadvantages wODd attend
/ il which would not be vastly outwelghed 10y the
benefits which would seem likely 10 result from 1t.
The object aimed at, viz. the representation o.
minoTitios as well SIS majorites in proportion to
their NUMBER OF rather the equal and exact repre-
sentaton q tho whole voting class is the most pco-
found and comprehensive proposition IN statesman
ship ever brought before a Legislative body II is
the perfection OF tie principle of scH-Govern1ent.
The only question IS VIII the plan proposed accom-
plish the end desircd1 Mr. Buckalew lays
no claim to its authorship It was invented
by James Garth Marshall Of England. has been
indorscd by John Stuart Mill in his work
on Representative Government and by Earl Gray in
his work on Parliamentary Reform. 1t pro
posed by hr. Lowe g clause in the recent Reform
Bill in July last and received l5 votes IN the House
Of Commons. il is before the world, amy lnGorsed,
and challenges especially lie attention OF tie people
of this country OF Congress. and of our COls.itu-
tiOnal Conventions 81 time when ten new southern
Constitutions and several Northern ones are }0im-
is also undergoing new interpretations and raGlcai
Amendments.
sd under our system. Is, II we may 90 speak, when
they arc in the majority; G. when tie party III the
minority IL sctlOn OF district Is III inc maj0rity
in another: aud the candidate elected by the MAJOR
ity in the latter district IN sense represents the MI
nortv ia the former. Thus each Northern Demo
represents legally Only the majority IN hls own
district, but practically he represents, also, Le de-
featcd minority u every RenuhCan district oi INC
northern states and lastly, tie majority Oi the White
people IL le Southern stats. Thus, Icy indiIcc'ion,
and in bunglnz way, We arrive III ehec' tt roIt
OF approximation Of nlu0ntlcS though the themS OF
our representative system recognizes ohiy me ilth
u mGiOrties. But THIS j. Only 0h5ettng one eIll
against auother-the Glsfr3uchiZcd minority IN
one State or district against tho disfrauchi-cd M
nority IN another Thus Penney lvania Eaying about
CcO votes fOI Pres dental electors, Of which each
party has about $4,000, lew hundred NOoa ave INC
nlai0ritv 10 one party or tho other and which
- tLe Whole C0oO0O votes were given FOR
one marty Instead az the fLectorai Vote Dcihg ui-
yided between the two parues 70 0IIthPonIo WIZ
tue popular vote the result H. the elhe as esris
man In the State had voted one way Inc
minority Is not only uITcprcsented bnt 'Aer VOC Is
added 10 that Of the majority, and ig cas against the
Their only consolation - that IN some Othe' Htate
fbcir Marty Is IN tho majority. ard there obtains
cOiupcnsa.iug alice o. representation Whch tu"u4u
have gone ID the minority. inns, m lG!sy.NHDi''
on q popular vote, which IS ntaiy Tie tuc lei ab-
Hcars Cl.ct IS representatives, 10 Congress 70 sIA
Democrats. Vermont elects all thitc lsePnpli.c!n
members. though one-thud Of tho VOC "a the stare
il Democratic. Kentucky. when there is M,HoiI,S
whose numbers cntiue them to Two tihcG Aypgb
l;c4p rrD-escutativcs send none. IN Maryland, IL
stead OF one Republican member, out " nNc, we
t-,id 49, t,,n wherever rven political pcrtv
las q sfapdiug majority in State, ~ can nearly
aiwavs divide the district so as to bung TIC party
which il in the minority IN the SLale ~
LARGE in the minority III e2ch oiotI'cS
AID Tins exclude It toM fsprcsGnlauoh alt9t.,Hea'
or give il fewer representatives thah II j euleu ~
But without any corrupt JeIyinah9eI.ng mo M
UOrifv will always be inedsquately represented
New-York City, OF he vote Tor euton Tor Governor
Uolied $500 votes 20 s0C17 for Holman, OF more
ihau One-third Republican; Yet the ltepuihcan
parfv was ia the minority IN every Ward, ana on q
1uflar vote fOT members OF Corcrfss we Noul9
80 s;- Il,rnoorats o;d no ReDubicaus instead Of
four Democrats and two Repubhcans Az low III
stances the injustice OF leaving nluOiiit6 dhIepie-
scented Ia 80 glazing tha II mas Uceh gu3ieu asl'
Election are To be chosen each voter votes Tor hut
one or where three 10 bc chosen each voter Yotes
for but two. ana thus IN either case the minority
party elects In eiectng school directors com
mAsOueIs Of jurors ana OtncT hoaIds OF oHloS4h IN
whom il was desired thai TIE lninoliy parry bhouIu
be reIIescuted, tie SEINE plan h9s been luiaued'
me Inn of cumulative votinep is simply that
each voter shall have many votes as there are oil
GERS OF any one KIND 10 be chosen. and he may DtsioW
these votes be peases upon one several, or al OF
tie officers 10 10 chosen. The theory is that under
tlii5systein both the majority and minority 4AItcs
would nominate only about the number OF canhudtcb
thew could elect, and That each would eject the eau
didatcs il voted Tor very nearly 10, tie only u-
certainty being That caused by the change oil power
from one Marty 10 tho Othor mus, IN New lOIk NiAt
fLo Democracy knowing that the Republican o0WO
votes could be cumul9ted on two canuldates, ara
could certainly elect them w0uiu nominate ohy
four candidates whom they would AZ certainty
elect If the Democracy should choose 10
vote for the whole SIX 10 WOuld Giect hOthDS' INC
Repubcans wOuld elect but two members lot lHoGe
80 iii tLev have voted for SO in Pennsylvania II ~
supuOsed rhat the two parties Womb elect iWeiNe
reI,fe sentativos each. oue thrleen' ana INC
other eleven, instead OF one eighteen ~Iu We VV
ak as now o. course in the election OF single o.
Gcer the plan has application as IN INC hat are oI
things one man cannot represent DOth INC Al'JoIly
f,rffx ffriCH
tiss as AL editor of Tie &dr- ORR tDieS. we now
glance al the objections which may be conceived 10
/ exist against this system c.-....-... a.
/ BV throwing into a general State ticket officers,
like members OF Congress, who have heretofore been
elected eingly il involves the sacrifice Of the desire
of each district 10 nominate It's own member or else
some new machinery would be necessary whereby
the candidate first nominated 10y the district should
lac adopted by tho State Convention, and bc placed
bv them on the State ticket Otherwise the STATE
Convention might nominate Tor Congress candHiate
wholly repugnant TO the people OF the dislCt ne 10
to represent and who possibly might DC elected ny
the remainder OF the people OF the State though
every voter in his own district should vote against
him Such all extreme case Is practically unlikely,
but the iact which it illustrates remains true, VIZ:
that the plan destroys that diIeetness OF responsible
ity of each representative to Is particular constit-
-eIcy which prevails under the present system In
condensation for this, we should nnaouDfedly III
many instances have higher grade OF statesman
Rmt we wonld not have as now the first choice of
each constituency. Republicans residing IN Demo
cratic districts and Democrats residing IN Republican
Districts would be chosen. The interest OF each
,ncmhcr would be to consult, not the people of his
district but OF the state ut large lie WOuld De prac-
tcaly representative of the State not of the people
OF any district , 1T, -
Mr. RncLaIew expresses il, throw away 80 many
Of their vOtes-i. east them III manner not con-
templatcd By ne a-a ~ 10 GeIs H. MCihrns9'
lions one candidate who happened 10 be eminentlY