The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-12-11
PROPORTIONATE REPRESENT
ALTON.


ALTON.
II il self evident that the principle
Of Proportional Representation Is JUST /;
that tile whole people should be repre-
scented in tue Legislative bodies, and moi
mvr,ly those who happen to belOng to
a class who, upon some single queS
ton or line of policy, have formed
themselves into party. A party, which
is able TO poll few more votes than
any other party, under the present Ays-
tenn elects all the representatives and
governs the country, often rvga'dless
Of the wishes, and to- often of the In
L rests Of minoriIics, however large Ia
respect to numbers and respectable in
character.
For the past two years we have fire.
quently urged change in the present
mode OF elrcting representa- YES, both
to our local, state. and national l"gisla
lures. We have insisted that when
ever say one-tenth of the voters in n
state or district, entertained certain
views upon any question Of public po-
licy, and through party organization
Of their own, demanded n representa-
lion and a hearing in the Legislative
bodies, they should be enabled 10 send
a fair proportion of the representatives
that is 10 say, for example, one Ie-
preventative out Of ten. Under the
present system such minority would
have no representation, until tley
strengthened their voting power, b!
inhu, ncng individuals ar existing par
ties 10 vote with them, so a. 10 cast al
lca.t one more than alt OF all the
votes polled at the election. They
would then, under the present system,
suddenly be c'Olhcd with all the power
Of government, and could bend every
thiny To The furtherance of their own
peculiar ism.
We have suggested through our col
umns, and have commented upon and
otherwise noticed various plans, by
which this very important and very
just principle of government can be
bronp 1T into practical operation here
We have observed that it il almost in
vsriably tie case tina, when the idea Of
prupOi tomato representation is Auggesi-
ed to an in elligrnt man, when he has
considered the subject little, he pro
duUes a plan "f applications plan
which be considers will apply the pnn-
cipIe 70 perfectly that none other need
be considered. Hence arises = multi
plicity of plais which might be consi-
dered All evidence Of the difficulty Of
applying the principle, whereas it is an
Indication of it's perfect feasibility, and
a cheering indication to the friends OF
the movement that at no distant day II
vii obtain in all representative gov
eTnments.
The most complex plan for applying
this great principle, was suggested al
most simultaneously by Thomas Hare,
Of London, England, and Mons. Andre
Minister Of Finance, Of Copenhagen, i
Denmark. These schemes both en-
bodied the principle and the plan ofai 4
plying it, By successive voting. which
involves placing Of a number OF names
on his ticket by each voter, and an APP
parently complicated system of count
ing the vOtrs aud making out the re-
tuIns. We say apparently complicated,
for though simpler mo1e Of appliea-
ton was adopted in England, under the
late Reform Bill, and is in successful
operation there, in number of boz
roughs the original plan was intro |
duccd by Royal decree, in Denmark, IN
1865 aud i'll 1863, it was fully di,cus,-
ed in the Chambers. after being il
practical operation for eight years.
when every motion to change the sy>-l
tenn, was defeated by very large ma;
joritv and in 1886, after eleven years \
practical Test, it was embodied in ih'
new Danish Constitution, and is III
practical aud successful operation to-.
day. having been in operation for four I
teen years, and giving great satiS
faction. 4
Bin kSOOdS Magnzine, tor Julys
1859, a STANDARD Tory organ, (pt
has called itself the oldest Of IL, q
lTOries,l although its party has lin tl,es
as ia ii sntnIary election in En- / nd Isl
suffered loss the extent { f az a al
four :, as, by ths minority rep, O. enta9
ton system introduced by the last Rel
70 m Bill, SAYS that to the rrinc pc Of
that clause, fairly and consistently car.
red OFT, Il has no objection VIII 4
ever This expression Of opinion
~ & leading organ Of the paSts