The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-07-14
Minority Representation.

sentation in every instance. The most popular
method is the cumulative process, and TINS
seems destined to have fair trial III several
States. In recent able editorial, the Charles
ton Ncws explains the various plans proposed
in this country and Europe to secure proper
tionate representation of minoritics. The ar
ticle in question sets forth the scope and opera
ton of six general plans, and precedes this
enumeration with the following remarks:
The irregularity and the injustice of our
present representation system are both plain
and unmistakable, and the changing fortunes
of political parties give all of them, in turn
bitter taste of the power of bare majority.
As the laws now stand, majority of one, in
the largest constituency, carries with it the en-
tire control of the minority. The majority OF
one will make laws and unmake them, will take
off one tax and put on another more grievous,
will act in all things as though it were in very
truth the representative of the whole people.
And the evil is aggravated by the system OF
party organization and party tickets now IN
common use. The vote which elects one mem
Der of the party will, as general thing, elect
all the rest-the majority ticket is elected
throughout, and the minority ticket is as
thoroughly defeated.
No one contests the rights of the majority,
under the existing laws, to havca majority, of
the representation. But it is argued, and with
reason, that minorities, also, have their rights,
and it is the aim of the more advanced and
thoughtful of the statesmen of the country to
devise practical plan which shall give MI
norities their just share of representation with.
out encroaching upon the just stprepondcrance OF
the numerical majority. In short, the problem
is to procure legislative body which, at the
time of its election. will faithfully represent
the whole body of electors so that each clector
may have a representative to whom he has
given authority to speak and act for him, and
who will represent on the floor of the chamber
only as many votes as he has received.
The writer then proceeds to explain the plans
in the following order: Preferential voting ;
limited voting; substitute voting; proxy voting;
list voting, and cumulative voting With the
exception of the last named, these plans ap-
pear to be cumbersome and complicated, and
not likely to obtain general favor among the
masses But the cumulative mode is quite
practical, in our judgment, and, as before re-
marked, will probably receive thorough trial.
Indeed, as We understand it, the people of Hill
nois are about to test its effect and value, by
reason of clause in the Constitution just adop-
ted for that State. movement is on foot in
Pennsylvania which is likely to secure q gener-
al test of its utility there. A meeting of dele
gates from counties in Pennsylvania where the
Republicans are in the minority was held in
Philadelphia on the 4th Of July, and a resolu-
ton was adopted recommending State con-
vention to be composed of delegates from the
minority counties and districts, with view to
procuring legislation favorable to minority rep
resentation, and that all majority counties and
districts favorable to the same be invited to
send delegates 1t will thus be perceived that
minority representation is being discussed
among all parties, and we think it most proba-
bic will occupy a large share of public atten-
ton during the next few years. The general
adoption of any plan will produce complete
revolution in our representative system, and
will tend to overthrow the dictatorial spirit OF
maiorities which has too often and too long
disgraccd the legislation of this country. As
we expect to have occasion in the future for
discussing the propriety of minority represcn-
tation, there is no necessity for entering now
upon the subject at length. We conclude with
the explanation of cumulative voting, as given
by the Nees::
The sixth plan, which we have purposely re-
served to the last, is that of cumulative voting.
The theory of this is, that quota being asccr-
tained 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, rs may be
determined and shall be at liberty to cast them
all for one candidate, or divide them among
several, as he pleases This plan has been pro-
posed in Congress by Mr. Buckalew, of Pennsyl-
vania, and is the plan submitted for approval
at the Illinois constitutional elections held on
Saturday last. Its operations may be illustra-
trated thus Massachusetts, has ten representa-
tives in the lower house of Congress each vo-
ter has ten votes; he may give them to ten
candidates, one to cach,. or he may cumulate
them upon less number than ten, even to one.
One-tenth of the voters may thus be sure of q
representative, if they choose to unite upon
one person. Thus, suppose the number of vo-
tiers to be 100000 and each with ten votes,
making 100000 votes in all, of which 200,0 600
shall be sufficient to elect, the friends of any
one candidate might secure the concentration
or cumulation of the 100000 votes cast by
10000 voters, and those would have one repre-
sentative, though all the remaining votes were
cast for one person. In practice, no doubt
tickets would be made up by the two parties,
and each party would send representative
merely proportionate to its constituency: This
plan of cumulative voting seems to be the sim
plest and plainest yet devised, and, where it
has been tried, it is found to work exceeding
well.
Address of the Executive Committee.
We lay before our readers to-day the Address
of the Executive Committee of the Union Re-
Il -. i, nrnfo n,,1 inn