, 1870-06-16
MINORITY REPRESENTATION.

aud your ofnce' '9s HtsSnSw AcFAElASp.r
MINORITY REPRESENTATION.
Mr. mcd11l In Reply to Mr.. 8rom"
well.
To tbe Ed,fo, Of the Chicago Ezt"lns Journal:
NV notice las been directed toa letterin your
paper from Mr.. II. =. 3. BEomWell, OF Coles
Comfy, member OF the convention, calling
attention to What ho denomlnates serious
mistake that prevails to 5 great extent
Throughout tho State in relation to the minori-
ty representation section Of the new constitu-
t1ou.' Mr.. B. Gays:
It is supposed BY many that Il the new coz
sti.ution is adopted the sePafate SECTION en-
ground, whether it receives majority of votes
o. not This is clear mistake; tho truth is,
il that section should receive = minority Of
votes, il will take the place Of tho provision il
the body OF the new constitution, il that is
adopted, and in any event viii be the law OF
A1r. Bromwe1l is the first md cnly person I
have heard intimate that anybody supposed
the minority representation section would fall
to the ground i adopted By majority vote Of
the people. What possible object could there
so in submitting it to separate vote il it were
still to be imperative and void, after being
ratified? Section z Of the schedule explains
N very parspicuouB language just what will
follow in case this section is carried. It is not
to take effec! uIlces tho Dew constitution, rs
cast, in which case it will substitute Sections
Z and Of the Legislative Article. AL this is
as plain as pike-staf
Having corrected serious mistake" that
10 one can make that een rcad, ME. 3.
proceeds TO assail what he calls s'tho evils Of
this minority Scheme" He says " that it will
give every caitin who sells his voto on election
dav three votes to dispose Of for ono candi-
late"
This is the stock argument used By the op-
ponentss Of totall,y representation, and On
which Trey largely rely to defeat tho amend
pronouncing pure humbug.
The caiufs cannot sell their votes unless the
candidates buy them, but which they are per-
emptorily forbidden to do. I respectfully re-
against the amendment to Section S Of the
Legislative Article, wherein ther will discover
it il provided that members Of the General
Assembly, before they Can enter upon their
Official duties. must take and sub
scribe a solemn oath that "they
made any promises in the nature Of abribc,
directly or indirectly, to influence any vote at
| the election 1T which they were chosen" This
oath must be administered By judge Of the
Supreme or Ciscuit Court, be subscribed by
the member, and recorded and filed. II
|
convicted OF having sworn saLoly, he fortcits
| his Office and is disqualified thereafter from
holding any Office Of profit or trust in this
| State.
will seek for scaitiiTs to purchase in the face
Of this oath and its penalties. To do it he
must first commit bribery; second, perjury;
third, expose himself to detection, exposure,
| expulsion, and infnmy forever. It requires
considerable stretch OF the imaginstion to
| that a1yrh ~nr nffar1
The motive and psrtisan inducement for
purchasing votes will be much greater under
the old grab-au system than under the new
proportional system More than bali tho
counties viii elect two, three, or four members
Zach. In III those eounties ov6ry Toter will
have two, three, or four Ectes to cast for as
| many representatives, and in the districts of
| Cook County as high as five votes, and, il he
be "caihd," he will laye them for sale
Take class OF Close counties Tor districts In
this eonnty) Like Peoria Or sangamon, which
| will have three representatives, and where the
Purchase cf fow score votes will secure the
whole delegation. The gain Of thoso three
yotcs: by bribery mas give tho control Of the
Legislature to tie minority party,
md secure them United States
Wherens, under the proportional system. no
ancunt Of ititeEy and corruption in any
cccnty or district can gain mora than one
member; tie motive for bribery would, thare-
fcre, be hut oue-third as great under the pro-
rortionsl as under the gzab-all system,, where
political garnesters play for the whole pool
IIere can hardly be to exceed ha1f 4 Dozen
c:ose snd doubtful Senatorial Districts under
the new constitution, and ou1y in these could
there be any motive for resorting to bribery
nto11a Districts Will constitute the Representa-
| tive Districts under the proposed syatem Of
| representation But there will not be less than
four tines that many close and debatxhle coun-
tics under tho other system which Mr.. Brom-
vel advocates, and consequently correspond
cbandise Of their suffrage.
Mr. Bromwen depseeAtes the tone grea,
curse Of the old Legislative system Of group
ing counties together for the election Of Bev.
e1al Representatives" !" but admits that t'if all
the counties we're popu1ona enough to furnish
three members, minority representation might
shaver quite we'll" A good many will be pop
ulpus enough for that pose. Cook County
will constitute not less t1lAn six OF seven dis
hicts, with three House members each La
oIherr, win each be senItoI7ai u11ll1cts, aid
therefore, would elect three members. Hero
sponds with Mr. BIS conditions. And in two
thirds OF the remaining counties esch SeuAto-
,.ss District can be formed Of two counties
w.lch vii a1wa5s give the majority
rarty oIe member from each, answe1ng IN
| Et6IGC8 ~ bUt H11lS1H AAsikNt S5bkGA4l7 Au1
Hereby avoiding the "a trailing and Cross
hit.ng," which is objected to by Mr.. Brom.
well. But, at best, this objection amounts to
Int vety little when weighed against the JUS
tee. equity and advantages OF the system oi
totaliiy representation. And right hero let nc
Icing made By the enemies Of this great re-
form. The msjority, they Say, should rule
aid minority representation they declare is !
cunning scheme to give contro! Of the Legis
1ature to the minority party But this is I'M
OF the three candidates IN any district, unless
it wilful]y or factiouE1y throws away it's power
aid opportunity. Tho minority party
can elict but one. The perfect rule o1
tie majority is thus preeeryed unirn
the district, who may constitute almost hall
ct the entire vote, and are utterly excluded
viii Eek IRE representative to enable them te
be heard On al questions that affect thei,
rights and interests. This system Of proper.
tional representation can never jeopardlze ol
overthrow the 1nle OF the stronger party ir
tho State II the Democrats gain members
under il in Northern Illinois, Republicans viii
gain equally as many in Southern Illinois. L
must be borne in mind that nearly sixty coun
: CRITIC, or so close that the Republicans canno'
ccunt Cd c.r3i ing them hereafter, It is no
safe or prudent to reckon, in the future, upot
Gtants majority in Illinois. He that docs il
| Coomed to be grievously disappointed
The adoption OF proportional representation
will do much toward abating the banefu1 spiri
OF partisan animosity, and removing the temp
taslons which the q gIab~an system Offers fo1
the currrpt use Of money ut elections. It vii
tend to relieve the voter from the despotisu
Of party cancuses, and at the came time con
st1ain ward politicians to exercise more careir
selecting candidates for 1aw-makers. There j.
Dothing that will more e1ectualfv Put an ent
|, tothe Infamous practice OF packing entionI
. than aiming the voter with lis tilree-shoot-
er" or cumulative ballot power
whereby ho may concentrate hi
votes on worthy candidate. ant
let = sca1awas On The ticket severely alone. I
viii thus Increase the uee1ul1ess OF the Leg
islaturs by improving its membership, and i
| will enable the honest and virtuous voters tx
elect the tblest and purest men in their midst
and secure TO Legislative councils a highe
grade OF talent md integrity, and q large
measure OF popular confidence and respec
than has been possible under the grab-a1l eys
, TEN which gives the majority in a district
monopoly Of representation and deprives tn
minority party Of all voice in the halls OF leg
, isiation. Respectfully, JOSEPH MEpIlL-
, The Army Reorganization Hill.
The following is a synopsis Of the bill to re
organize the nrmy, al reported from the Con
!, ference Committee on Saturday: The ne'
bl1, as agreed upon, provides for a standing
, Amy Of 30, 1000 from the LIST OF July, 1871. Tn
; second section authorizes the President TO dis
charge f1om service officers who may appl
therefor before the LIST OF January next, ih
| officers to receive one years pay and allow
auces. The third section authorizes the Pres