Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-12
REFORM IN REPRESENTA-
.aa TION.evsA e ~
The Evil Effects of our Present
r. Election System.
The Remedies Proposed Here
and Abroad ~
"From the People, for the
~ oi 2 People" {


BOsToN, April 5.-Mr. David Dudley
Field lectured this evening, before the
| Lowell institute, on behalf of the Ameri.
can Social Science Association, on the
representation of minc rites. Mr.. Field,
whose remarks were attentively listened
to, spoke in substance as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: The subject
of this letter is set down III theprogramme
as the representation of minorities. ]
would rather that it had been called the
representation of the people, not of mi
norities, nor yet of majorities, but of the
whole people. We have, in fact, no real
representation even of majorities. 1t is
true that the person who takes his seat in
| Congress or the State Legislature comes
with certificate purporting that he has
received majority, or it may be a plural
ity, of the votes cast on particular day
in particular district; but as the major
tiles may be large or small, and no ac-
count is taken of the minorities, however
large, the assembly of representatives
may be, as often it is, the choice of a
minority of the whole people.
THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
We will look at the State governments
first and the Federal Government after
ward. In doing so, we will take, for the
most part, the election of 1868, the time
of the last Presidential election, and,
therefore, most likely to bring out full
vote. In the Senate of New York, II
Republican Senators had been elected the
year before by 324, 6S7 votes, and 10
Democratic Senators by 358, 1876 votes.
In the Assembly, rs Republican members
were elected in 1867, by 397, 899 votes,
while only 50 Democratic members were
elected by 431, $40 votes. There were
thus %, 449 more votes cast for the Is
Democrats in the Senate than were cast
for the II Republicans; and if the repre-
sentatiOn had been faithful to the prin-
ciple, there would have been II Demo-
Gratis and Is Republicans, and the ma
jOrity of 2 for the latter would have
been reversed and made 2 for the
former. There were, at the next years
election, 80, GIL more votes cast for the 80
Democratic members of assembly than
for the 76 Republican members If the
representation here had been proportional
to the votes, the number of Democrats
the number of Republicans 81 instead of
7G, and the majority, instead of being a
for the Republicans, should have been 6
for the Democrats. Turning t, other
States, we find the following: In Mary
land the Democrats cast 62, 357 votes, and
elected every member of both Houses,
Ill in number, while the Republicans
polled 30,43S votes, and elected nobody.
In Delaware the Republicans elected only
2 members by 1888 votes, while the
Democrats elected % by 1O,9SO. In
Kansas the Republicans elected los mem
bers by 81, 046 votes, while the Demo-
Gratis elected only by IA, 0l9 votes. In
Nevada the Republicans cast 6, $50 votes,
and elected 81 members; the Democrats
cast 5,21S, and elected only members.
In California the Republicans elected %
members by 81, 500 votes, while the
Democrats elected 81 members by less
number-that is, by 54.O7S. In Vermont
z4O Republicans were elected by Al, 167
votes, and 26 Democrats by 1908. In
Maine 40, 426 Republicans elected 243
members, and ~, 1876 Democrats only 81.
Maryland's Republicans thus cast nearly
u
out, getting a single Representave in
branch of the Legislature. In Delaware,
| the Republicans gave 40 per cent. of the
popular vote, and gained bat per cent.
| of the Legislature, while in California
they gave an actual majority, but gained
less than one-fifth. On the other hand,
| the Democrats in Kansas gave third of
the votes and obtained but 6 per cent. of
| the Legislature; in Vermont, they cast 81
| per cent. of the vote and obtained but
per cent. of the Legislature; in Maine,
they cast 81 per cent. of the vote and
obtained only - per cent Of the Legisla-
ture; in Nevada, nearly half the vote and
but 10 per cent. of the Legislature.
TIE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
| Passing now to the Federal Govern
ment, we find that the representation in
the House of Representatives for the
State of New York, consists of II Re-
publicans and Il Democrats, though the
former received but 416, 1872 votes, while
the latter received 1913, 595; that is to say,
the popular majority was 1913 for the
Democrats, while the Congressional ma
jority in the delegation is on the side of
the Republicans, instead OF being, as II
should have been, l on the side of the
Democrats. Taking the whole country,
we find that the House of Representatives
has las Republicans and II Democratic
members, the former having received
1854, 04S votes, and the latter 2,036, l7S;
that is to say, the Republicans on 5G per
cent of the popular vote have 81 pei
cent of the Congressional vote, and the
Democrats on 43 per cent. Of the former
have 80 per cent. of the latter.
| THE SENATE.
| In the Senate the representation is still
further removed from the people, as the
following statement will show. There
are 81 States represented by "a Senator'S
The following table shows the vote of the
is States having the largest population
and represented in the Senate by 81
Senators: