The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-08

Tieliou until could at least sa1isfy.myselt OF
| it's practical efficacy as present remedy. NY
examination leads me to give my unresefVeW
support to the plan. and 10 believe thaC IL VIII
lay the foundation for Staoie peace III our
State. .u ~.
regret that time will not allow q full dis
cussion of this subject in its principles. Who
ever desires this, will find it abundantly IN
John Stuart Mill on Representative Govern
ment;a in the debates in the English Pafllt.,
ment in 1867, By Chancellor. Lowe, Loru
Cairns, Earl Grey and Mr.. Mill; IN the very
| able and elaborate report OF Senator Buckalew,
| of Pennsylvania, made 10 the United states
| Senate in March, 1868, and, I am happy 10 add,
| in an address delivered before the stndenIs OF
| Wofford College in June last, by C0!onel .. r;
Thomas, OF our own State, where Will 9e lounu
| an admirable resume OF the history ana naGure
| Of the plan, enforced oy many new al' 'neo
| tive arguments.
( AsG study merely. to one who is attracted
by discussions of the great questions OF re-
| publican government. few topics nave greater
charms. But OF all this must not speak.
The plan is briefly this 10 give to each voter
as many votes as there are representatives 70
| be elected in his county or voting district. and
allow him to cast them all for one candidate,
or divide them among several, as ne pleases
Thus, to take the illustration OF another and
apply it to case within our own Stale: "Ihe
County of Charleston has eighteen representa-
| tives in the lower house OF the Legislature
each voter has eighteen votes; he may give
them 20 eighteen candidates. one to each, or
| he m;ly cumu!ate them upon less number
than ten, even to one. One.eighteenth oil the
voters may thus be sure OF representative, II
| they choose to unite upon one person.. In
practice, however, no doubt tickets would De
made up by the two parties, and eacn party
would send representatives merely proportion
ed 10 its constituency"
C,,ni, 10 hn nl
give To each party in our State representation
| in our lower house of Assembly, and. in fact,
| in all elections where more than one person was
| to be chosen, proportioned 10 lts numerlcal
| strength, instead, as now, OF ignoring the MI
nority wholly, and giving to majority. made
up OF one hundred anu one, the sole represen-
| talion in voting district OF two hundred
voters.
This is true republicaasm, IN distinction
| from false republicanism. AS Colonel Thomas
apply styles 1t, 1t is "totdltty representation,
giving 10 all parties and all interests 1alr
share of representation.
TO make this principle applicable to cur
elections would require some changes IN our
| organic law; but it would be immediately appll-
cable 10 elections for members OF the lower
house OF the Legislature, 10 elections for conn-
| ty commissioners, aud 10 the senatorial elec-
ton in Charleston County. think no change
OF our constitution is required 10 effect all TINS,
| but simply statute embodyinS and enforcing
| the new plan.
The immediate result of such change will
be immense. If the numerical relations oil
our present political parties and Of the two
races Is that OF three TO live, the lower house
of the Legislature will stand about fOrty-seven
TO seventy-seven. The same result would be
seen In the boards OF county commissioners. q
board OF prime importance 10 the taxpayers OF
the State.
Gradually the application OF the system
might be extended until 1t became the univer-
sal rule in all our elections, when more than
one person was to be chosen to the same
office.
Another result would be to improve the
character and ability OF the officers chosen in
each oarty. 1t would check the debasing in
;iuence of professional politicians; it would
make corruption in popular elections CON-
paratively impossible; it would make the &C.
ieat OF specially obnoxious candidates, or the
election oil specially desirable candidates
practicable, In spite of party nominations, by
q union of the good men OF both parties, re-
suit scarcely possible and entirely imprOoaole
under our present system.
The immediate influence OF .orty y-sepen III
men representing the character, Intelligence
and property OF our State in the lower mouse
can scarcely be over estimated; Inoush not y
majority, they would Inevitably prevent bad
legislation, and induce much good legislation.
Their very presence would shame ignorance
and tIighten corruption. ! firmly believe,
speaking from long anG close observation,
that the presence OF such number OF aole
and true men would Danish the crying abuses
which now disgrace our Legislature. ana IN
troduce an era of comparative purity and in
telligent legislation. Certain 1t is that it
would absolutely prevent the further increase
of our public debt, the reckless sQuanuerlng
of public funds and the ilnprevident giving OF
State mid to selfish moneyed corporations:
But the whole subject requires deep study TO
perceive its wide-reaching results, and such
study will, think, convince any one that
here lies our true remedy; remedy singular
ly well adapted to just such community 0l
voters, interests and influences as now exist
in our State.
There are other reforms also which we must
demand imperously and peremptorlIy. One is
the repeal oil that most unjust ana scanoalous
election law, under which our last general
election was held. Another is an absolute
prohibition of any further increase of our public
debt except under restrictions which shall be
rigid andeabsolute. :,
Another Is the immediate reduction OF all
public expenditures to al least two-thirds OF
their present amount.
Another Is the speedy removal, by the EX-
ecutiye, OF incompetent local officers, especial
ly tax officers, eud the appointment OF capa-
Bile and honest men in their places, regardless
of party.
This will effect only q partial present
remedy; but it will do niuch Immediately 10
remove a deep and just cause OF complaint.
These are some of the demands Of the hour,
which I, for one, will join with all good citi-
Zens in making, and | trust that by every
means, by individual influence and acLion, by
the press and by conventions, the people oil the
State will proclaim and enforce these just de-
mands.
There are abundant means, a my judgment,
within the reach of the taxpayers OF our State,
to enforce these changes without doing vio-
lence tu c.-il and social order. IN fact,
nothing is so sure TO prOlong the present si!u-
alton as a resort TO violence. Nothing can,
and nothing will. in the eyes of the nation
and the worn, Justify or excuse what Is known
as KlrkluXsm, 1t is simply horrible, infa-
nous, diabolical: never 10 be tolerated us a
means OF reform or relief from present abuses,
for 1t Is in itself the most slupendous OF all
crimes. Good citizens who look 10 reform
must compel such means 10 +. forever aban-
doned. Violence begets violence, and soon
that soirt OF awlesSneSs which hudS couute-
nance or escares denunciation will run llot
and prostrate all The common safeguards Oh
civil society," 1t will, in due time, return TO
plague its inventors.
But by whatever means and from whatever
causes relief and reform are secured, they
must come from ourselves, 2n:. 'rot from
abroad.
Our homo lies Snlrlv in the strong and Xeu