The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-12-01

misled by words lily understood, or
perverted from their true Specification,
nor by reasoning which while peril
nent to the election Of a single person
may be quite inapplicable to the cleo.
tion Of several or many.
1t is said, and the remark is quite
true in general sense, that ours is a
system of government, but no plan
Misrepresentation ever devised can make
it such completely and beyond the posi-
bility of disfranchisem of some
members of the electoral population.
We must content ourselves with an ap.
proach to u standard of absolute per-
fiction, without indulging hopes of
ever reaching it by the utmost exertion
Of our powers. But we must approach
1t as nearly AS we can, or we will be
false to the principles we profess and
subject ourselves to just reproach from
the friends of free government in all
lands. Our country is new and our ex'
pertinent and trial of free institutions is
being made not only upon grand scale
but under conditions more favorable
for success than over before existed in
the whole history of the human race.
The more complete representation of
the people in government is, simply
stated, the object of those who advocate
electoral reform upon either of the
plans before mentioned; but 1t Is an
entire mistake TO assume that they in
tend to subordinate the greater to the
less in any of the arrangements they
propose, or to subvert or impair any
principle heretofore accepted as sound
and just in republican government. On
the contrary, they adhere to the princi.
pie of majority government with ad-
mirable fidelity and give to it new,
useful and extended operation and eff.
feet. They represent more persons
disfranchise fewer ones and cut off
the main source Of electoral corruption,
by carrying the majority principle fur
ther than it ever has been and placing
a power for its effectual enforcement in
the hands of the people themselves.
The force of these general rema rks
will be best exhibited by an illustration
of the principle of extended represen-
tation to which they refer, and for such
illustration 1 will take the case Of
Bloomsburg,-my own town,-where
four elections have been held under the
plan of the free vote. The town con-
tains, say, G12 voters, 3l2 oi whom are
Democrats and 800 Republicans. (Theso
are not far from the exact numbers as
shown at recent elections.)
A President of the town Council is to
be elected annually who is the principal
executive officer of the town as well as
President of the Council. If the 3l2
Democratic voters unite in support of q
candidate he will be elected, and prop.
erly elected, upon the sound principle
that a greater number shall be preferred
to less in the assignment of represen.
tation. Ten voters in this case turn the
scale, but the result is perfectly just.
There is but one majority to be consid-
cred and that in favor of the successful
Next, two Assessors of taxes are to
be elected annually and here the free
vote comes into play and secures their
division between parties. Each voter
is permitted to give one vote to each of
two candidates, or two votes to one
Each party, of course, will run but one
candidate because they can elect no
more and the second majority in the
town is represented as well as the Fl rst.
The figures are as follows: Divide Gl2,
(the whole vote) by 2, (the number OF
assessors,) and we obtain a ratio, or
number of voters for an assessor, of 306.
Give the first assessor to the first ma
jority Of 3l2 Democrats and deduct the
ratio ; we have then left, unrepresented,
but Democrats to 300 Republicans. .aLd
the free vote carries the second assessor
to this second, or Republican majority.
How much better this is than giving
both the assessors to the first majority
Here but 6 voters are unrepresented in
stead of 300. And in practical govern
ment clear advantage is gained for
the possible spite, partiality or incom-
potency of one assessor is checked or
corrected by the other, and the chances
of fair play in the valuations of proper
ty In the town, are increased.
A similar and salutary division of
officers takes place annually in the
choice of two school directors and two
and triennially in the choice
of two assistant assessors.
But in the election of three persons
the improvement introduced by the
new plan is still more evident than in
the case of two. The numbers will run
Ratio, 204; first Dem. majority 3l2
second Rep. maj. 800; third Dem. maj.
1903, and the general result will stand
to in favor of the party having the
preponderance upon the total vote. The
of Republican voters
will be reducsd from 300 to S6, and this
by simply permitting each voter to cast
his three votes for one, two or three
candidates as he shall think fit. In
Bioomsburg three town Auditors are
elected together every third year.
Take next the case of the annual elec.
ton of six Councilmen. The ratio for
Councilman will be 1872 and the five
successive majorities after the first will
all be represented by the free vote.
Although no calculation of them will
be made at the election such will be the
inevitable result; for as each voter may
bestow his six votes upon any number
OF candidates less than six, each party
will run but three, all of whom will be
elected and but six voters in the whole
population will be unrepresented in.
stead of 300. Here we have very
nearly complete representation of all
the voters of the town by following the
majority principle at each successive
stage of the distribution.
The exclusive represe ntation of first