The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-09-19

.UTUX%MMM
Il u 49,. ... s..s..s,.h 40. ,..... ~.
- apnl;ea. q
1 ws krc.. "a ~k.t ss<.,o. In \. tsle.
|bv Ia asscuhlsd x,sdor, Of Tie Labor Con-
n - an vslstion d ths ccurue ~ pussued
/ q ID cornine e,ee4tons. II usv be fhoa1hk
| best 10 place our own national and state can
dida.es in the fielc, with = view directly 70
display to ourselves, Is wsli = % the world,
she power wn'en We gar. w's,cs even ~ sse
ih.ancy " our poaiucsi 'l'e' Das w sss'''
Alr representation, under the present sys-
tem Of elections, we must secure majority
Of the votes, --Aad even this nay net sullics
Whether s1ch . majority u Ito be hoped for
nssd not now be discnsssd. 1hers are 10
eaiitses, doubtless, where the Labor party,
coalesing with the minority and running 10
dependent local candidates, may succeed in
securing partial Legislative representation ,di-
rect or indirect This We may do st present,
thus We have already succeeded In doing in
Cincinnati and At come other points; this we
must continue 20 do M far M practicable !;
bat We must lock for, and labor for, some
thing better 9 representation far more GER
tain and far more perfect.
our fr;ena. aeross The x,.,er ara striving
| To aecure the rioht n vote We have that
right i. is uudisputed here. vet how are we
benefited by il. Let M give this matter
some consideration. The evils of our pre-
sent nolitical svstem ar, Notorious. The al.
nremaov az the worst class Of marty mana.
g.r. il becoming every dav mora fiymlv
fixed. and their rule is SO intolerabIe as to
have already caused many Of our hest citi-
zsns "a desnair or democratic ipstltutiops |,
xb,le tho advocates Of sr,stocr.ev and man.
srcbv IN the old w7r,d. derive their strong
est arguments against popular government
conr,rv Th;s svstem actually comnels ms
70 vote for one or the other Of the marty
t;cl s,s nrenarea ;nvar,.hlv Nv nyofa.s;on, i
politic;ans men who feed only At the nub-
lie crib. mr. n co xi,hout representa,ion
Since an in iependent or minoritv candidate.
,.s ,sr.l,v ro chance a. a,ac,ion !, Tins viz.
,aallv intrusts 70 irresponsible psrty mana
gers. the mower Of naming ,,oo men Of whom
one shall be the local representative i,
leaves to the voter. in most cases. only tn,
poor privilege of casting bis ballot for the
one If the two whom he distrusis the least /;
and II that candidate fails to secure local
majority, all those voters who cast their bal
lots for him are practically as completely
DISTINGUISHED as if they had been by force
excluded from he polling place.
By our present system we thus intrust to
the s'wire-pullers' of the two great parties
the power of choosing the men by whom
the people shall be represented, and we
virtually compel all citizens to enlist
the ranks of one or the other Of these
parties and to submit TO the control
Of its leaders, by providing. as in fac;
we do, that those who do not choose
thus to subject their individuality to the
control Of men they dlstrust, must abandon
all hope Of securing any representation.
since it is only by the powerful machinery
Of eompacted party organization, that even
local majority can De secured for any can
d'fate unless under very excePticnabie cir
cumstances-
Oar present system, First, DISTINGUISHES
all minorities, Accounting often to near
ly one half Of the people Of the state,
and deprives them Of all voice in the
making of laws. secondly, it leads to
the separation Of the whole population into
two great parties, compelling forced and I'M
natural uniformity Of action, and coercine
the electors into submission to the leaders OF
these dominant parties. Ihirdty, 1t has led
In practice to the non-recognItion OF the
rights OF minorities as well as to their non
representation in legislative bodies. Fourth
ty, 1t como INNS to private lie many oil the
best, wIsest and most original minds OF the
country, who are incapable OF becoming she
tools Of these party organizations. Ftfhty,
II permits the representation OF maJor'aes
only, and as laws are MADE by mere MAJOR
ity oil such representatives OF maJorities, IL
throws the law-maklng power into the hands
OF an actual minority Of the people.
Can we not remedy these evils What
We want is, IS far as practicable, to secure
to each person a fair and proportionate por.
er in the ooosrnm mt. and enable him to er-
g, t'se this poseer a. directly as possible. To
secure 5r all minoritps representation in
proportion 10 their numbers, in the leqislatures
of the country. We believe that this can
De done under a system Of elections quite as
simple. and far more effective, than the pre-
sent Our system Of government il admirs-
he. bu, our system Of elections ia execrable.
The mb;ecs of tn evils now existing in re-