, 1870-06-06

IN cycles.
Minority Representations.
Tfe question OF minority repreaentstio,
ano the action Of tho Illinois Constitution,
convention thereon, is attracting good de-
OF attention, and exciting, both in This count,
! soo n Europe, good deal Of discussion. II
uanaiats from LIE Retor1niste, Of Geneyy,
e'aize1laod, the following article upon th
subject. -
| ihE PROPOSED Reform N ILLINOIS,
:, Inc 1olo~lng rules have been Submitted 4
the people Of Illinois by tie Const;t,t;1,.
Convention Of that State, in tie proposo
The State shall be divided into districts
easea. eaen q n winch shall have the right to eiec
Each voter shsll have the ripht In d;o,,a
oi Ills three votes Is ho pleases d;v;5in,
them among two or three candidates. or cn
mulat1ng them upon one. He NAV r;va m,
vote to each Of tue three candidates: ,wo Il
one, aud one vote to tho other; 0 vote and
nall 70 each OF two; or three votes to out
The three candidates who shall have m
ceiyed the highest number Of votes shall +,
declared elected. WV" 0DA1 "
y ,th1a method, minority Of barely more
than one-fourth Of tile whole uu1nber If eIoc
tors may secure to themselves a represeuta.
ton BY one out Of the threo candidates. Le
ns suppose, for instance, that there are 1 ,O01
On one candidate, they will give him s .00a
votes. This candidate will certainly be elected,
because the remaining 5000 voters can caat
hut 5000 votes, and could, therefore, outy
give 5000 votes to each OF three candi-
dates. The majority Of 5000 voters can
thus only % secure the election Of two
candidates. Tho result viii be the same in
effect, What ever lnay be the numbers select
braic formula. f1o '36so-
In assuring to tho minority of but little
more than one-fourth the ability to choose !
Representative, the system permits, also. thst
thlee parties may be represented By the tlree
HepIesentatlSes. by recurring to the preceil-
ing Illustration We shall see that Wills two
parties OF 1,061 voters each can give S,003
votes TO each OF two candidates., the temain-
ing :, ,999 voters, with their 5,997 votes. eau
give only 2,99s votex to each of two csnfii-
single Representative. :"
Iho struggle between two parties for e1clu-
siyo representation will bo impossible with the
adoption Of tlis plan; and a third party c1u
always Obtain q representation in the Stale
councils, provided they can command q little
more than one-qnarter Of the total humber Of
votes.
The system il infinitely preferable to that of
limited roting, which co1itiaes tue couteat To
Two parties, and gives no representation TO tic
minority, unless it can command upwards of
two-fftAs Of the entire number Of votes, It
establishes proportionAhty between the dif-
ferent parties Of the State, and enables Tie
voices Of tho weaker to be heard.
This Is the strong side OF the Illinois
scheme It realizes the fundamental iGca of
reform, tho substitution Of free !epre.enfn-
ton OF several parties, for the old warfare
Riach ended in tie complete triumph of . ain
Ele one. Let us now look at the weak points
In the first place, it does not permit tba
useful Formation Of more than three electoral
groups. It Is too Small In its scopo To nroviis
1of the moro numerous divisions Of political
society," Ihe most important principles. and
the Etavest interests may be found to b. en-
M;y, RIely eliminated lin,a from 2 representation
ehted, and the most intelligent, viii ind
t1emselyes 6orely hampered By = system
which admits but three groups OF yotarn to
Wofk with chance OF success. There should
be, at least, E11 or seven Representative from
each district, IN order to give to the voters the
leehng ihat they have real liberty to choose
Who sha1 represent them; and if the districts
we're to Do represented by fifteen or twenty
men each. it would be still better, The iden.
tity Of the assembly with the Vhole conntrr
represented is Tie true ideal Of reform aa l,,s
been well shown by Mons. do Girardiu and
~; Thomas Hare- THIS ideal theory should,
be sacrificed to the actual neces.
s1aes OF the case; but the size Of the district
md the real Liberty Of the voters are both re-
auced IN tha same proportion.
secondly. Ihe system will involve 30 much |
plcation in counting tue votes, ~ to seriouslv |
nctesso : tie chances Of error on the part OF |
he inspectors Of election. When one nsrtr
deposits . complete ticket, and obtains = nm.
YER of Representatives proportional to tIe
lumber OF votes, the Operation ID simple in |
lself. and certain in its results; but uudar Tia
iInois system, party which could onlV
btam one Representative by judicions eli.
saould divide its yofes between two
anc1dates, It wou1d risk the loss OF represen-
alton: Besides, one can easily foresee, theo-
encaly, ~ Ieast, such cumulation OF votes on
ne OF Two candidates, as should leay. fila
representation from q given district incom-
'lete. The plan involves, therefore, preri-
ue calculation By the party leaders, and the
nanfementa 80 made may, after all, prove to
Thirdly supposing the chances Of The re.
pecuSe parties TO be accurately calculated be-
orehand, the proportion Of Representation
~ not be- truly preserved. great nuu,ber
rssds xoisa sean T, r ih!{ h 7 fhrown away
ay elect Representative, and that /. a9o
ay also obtain but one; 80 that ont Of
$50 votes, 993 will be absolutely yalne1es. IN
10 subsequent count It is tho loss Of
lese supethuous votes which alone make the
formed system valuable By allowing 4 quar-
ut OF ths representation, and in eunblinr a
lrd party to obtain the same promiaanca. |
1T the ldea OF proportional representation IL
oxen up BY the arrangement, and the num-
r Of supe1huous votes will be IN inserse mo-
'ftlon to the extent OF the representation OF
!
,arter Of the whole vote nay Be- practiea1iv
Town away; With four Representatives. only
,e-dfth part could be lost: and viii fivs
only one-sixth.
trcporhonsi representation is DESTROYED.
ID DESTROYED IN faroF Of the minority. This ,
g proposed plan should become = Law inJ
'lnots, and be put in practice, it Will be rery;}
'sy to see that it will give too large reprn
ntation TO the n1inot7ties. Il will be really
'n'shment to the majority. but they may find
10 be just punishment, and will naturally g
m9 ,; 10 demand that distributive Justice I
ncn they have 80 long refused 10 the weaker :
rty. But true distributive Justice to Iii
fhes cao only be arrived at By making tba
stnsts OF sufficiently great e1tent, and The :
adjustment OF = direct proportion. bv A I
N analogous to that which Geneva has dis {
g 1aea. oE to that which the people Of Neuf- g
We conclnde, from the considerations above Z
esented, that while the plan submitted by y
e Illinois Constitutional Convention is moi =
70 from objection. it will prove to be q bill i
nt success in the reform uevement. The T
mediate result will bs to destroy the over l
sanlng e e1clusiveneas Of electoral Inajorities.
Ae the detects that we have noted result Il
I'M the great practical simplicity to which /
complete theory Of representation has c
en- sacrificed. This simplicity will probably b
'or the adoption OF the plan, which win. 2
FLAPS, be also found to be the Y
It possibly attainable under ox- I
unn5 pnt in practice, its defects will beco,no i.
parent to the public, and will naturally lead s
= representation which will be more con-
tely Just to Ill parGeB-that il to SAY, viii .,
g to all an exact representation. Il
[1e proposed Illinois law is long step for G.
"a N inc path Eof progress; and will pre- !.
q. = = go |