The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-04-13
s.. s G.
Wednesday Morning, April Is, 1870.


Reform I'm Observation-Disclosures or
tho Diherentt Methods OF Proportional
Representation. ,n.,
In his lecture in Boston, Mr.. David
Dudley Field, after taking the last presi-
dental electionS and showing how un-
fairly and irregularly tile present repre-
sentative system; works, thus gives an ac-
count OF the different schemes that have
been suggested 70 improve the said sys-
tenn. 8
At this time, we desire only to remark
that, in our judgment, all of these
schemes are defective, and that the right
ono has yet to be worked out. The pro-
blem remains unsolved. But to return.
Mr.. Field says:5
How THR EVIL OAN BE REMEDIED.-Va-
rious plans hare been proposed, of which
I will now proceed to give an account.
The problem is, to procure legislative
body which, at the time of its election,
will faithfully represent the whole body
OF electors. The point to be gained is
the giving to every sleotor a representa-
tive, SO that when the Legislature meets,
the former may feel that he can point to
some one on 5the floor to whom he has
given authority to speak and act for him,
and that the latter may represent only so
many votes as he has received.
TIE HARE SCHEME. on
the subject were begun so early as the
latter part of the last century. A bill for
English parliamentary reform, intro
duced by the Duke of Richmond in the
year 1850, contained clause looking to
q representation OF minorities. In the
former part of the present century
scheme having the same object was
broaohed by the late Mr.. Hill. In 1866,
plan proposed by Nj. Androe, was in
troduced into the representative system
of Denmark. In 1859, Mr.. Hare pub
ished his great work on the election of
representatives. parliamentary and NUM-
cipal. Since then the subject has re-
ceived much attention, and given rise to
many discussions in this country, and in
England, France, Switzerland, Germany,
Belgium, Sweden, and Australia. Mr..
Hare's scheme is one which, for the sake
OF distinction, will call that of prefer
ential voting. It ascertains the quota by
dividing the whole number of voters by
the whole number of representatives.
Thus, if the whole number of voters
should be 800, 1000, and the number of
representatives to be- chosen 200, tho
quota of voters to each representative
would be 1000. Then the voter is to
deposit at the polls voting paper, on
which lie she'll have placed in the order
of his preference the names of the candi-
dates, or OF 80 many of them as he
pleases. mo vote is to be counted for
more than one candidate; any candidate
receiving 1900 votes is to be declared
elected; il the candidate first on voting
paper fails to obtain the quota, or has
already obtained it, the vote descends to
the next in. order of preference; when
candidate has-obtained the quota, his
votes up to that number are to be laid
aside, and the remaining votes are to be
counted for the candidate next in order
OF preference, and so on, till oil the votes
are appropriated and the whole number
of representatives is obtained. If there
be not 200 persons credited each with
1000 votes, and the representative body
is consequently deficient in number, the
deficiency is to be made up by taking
the candidates who come nearest to the
required quota. This method, which I
have called that of preferential voting,
of the electoral quotient (le guotient
@tOStS' t1
A second plan is that of cumulative
voting The theory of this is, that,
quota being ascertained as before,
each voter shall have as many votes as
there are representatives to be elected,
(either from the whole State. or from
electoral districts less than the whole
State. as may be determined and shall
be at liberty to cast them all for one can
didate, or divide them among several, rs
he pleases. This plan has been proposed
in Congress by MIR. Buckalew, OF Penn
sylvania, and in the Illinois State Con-
vention by Mr.. Joseph Medill and others.
Its operations may be illustrated thus:
Massachusetts has ten Represen tatives in
the lower House of Congress; each voter
has ten votes; he may give them to ten
candidates, one to each, or he may cumu-
late them upon less number than ten,
even to one. One-tenth of TIE voters
may thus be sure of q representative, if
they choose to unite upon one person.
Thus, suppose the number of voters to
be 100000, and each with ten votes.
making 2,O00.0 900 votes in all, of which