Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-05-19
VOLUME VI. NO. 80.


The Executive Committee rcported unon
resolution calling upon each member to do /.
post S3 w with the secretary, to dcfray the
expenses of the Convention. Aaonted -
y so, reported npon the resolution of Judae
hldrich IN regard to taxation without repre.
scn'atI"n, which was read and confirmed
Inc report OF the Executive Committee on
the solution of Mr.. Chamberlain. in regard
10 violence IN certain Counties Of the State.
Was read aud adopted. Also, the report Of
.he Same committee ON giving power to the
Executive Committee to re assemble the Con
Vcntion ut such time rs they na> deem expe.
dient. Also, the report OF the same commit
tee with regard to taxation; also, rs to the
objects oe the Convention.
Mr. Ghesnut, for the Executive Commit.
tee, asked to be discharged from the consid.
er"t'nn OF certain resolutions by Mr. Smart
Mt Charbcllain, in regard to the finances
OF IN State, inasmuch as the subject matter
had been already reported upon.
NIT ScrcNen, for the Committee on Suf
trage and Elc"iion, made lengthy and
Interesting report, and asked that the sub
Jcct be referred to the Executive Committee.
which is - permanent body. So ordered
Mr. w Is. Greenfield offered the follow.
ing, which was referred to the Ey.cutive
Committee:
Whereas joint committee Of the Senate
and House of Rcprcs snutntives had been an.
pointed Tor the purpose Of investigating ire
Su!nrlt'es in a certain committee appointed
to Ia testimony III regard to the election in
the Third Congressional District in 1868.
and whereas 1t is believed that "A larger
amount has been drawn from the Treasury
than has been properly uccouutcd for there
fore,
Rcsolced, That the Executive Committee
be Instructed to inquire into the matter, with
a view OF discriminating what action, if any,
should be taken in the matter
me COMMITTEE to whom WAS referred the
qn' st'on III the cxped'ency of the cumulative
system OF voting, orsurh system as will pro-
tcct the rights Of miuor:ics, ask leave to
make the following report:
ne means OF protecting the rights of mi
t|S$ptras afa5s S,sassa ssa lie at.
as well as in this country, this question has
been fully discussed, aud a satisfactory sou
ton anxiously sought. So defective is the
sy>' em OF mere majority rulc-so fagrant are
the. abuses to which it is liable, that the ne
cesS!ty for its modification strikes with fo.ce
every impartial observer 1t is obvious that
the needs OF good government require that
some effective organism be devised for the
protection Of minorities. Your committee
deem 1t unnecessary 60 enter upon an analyst
OF the several schemes of proportional repre-
sentation that have been suggested. Enough
to say that, in our Judgment, the plan of Gu.
mulhtive voting best accom- piSlics the end in
vlew-best nakes representation co extensive
with the whole body of electors This plan
obtains, wherever there is mere than one off.
Ger to be elected 1t gives the elector as
many votes ms there are persons to be chosen,
and allows him to beStow his votes upon the
whole numhnr, nr to cuM,latc them upon a,y
number less than the whole The effect of
THIS system ls to give to each political inter
est IN community representation proper
tlonatc to its numerical strength. Under its
operation, the true oiii,c Of suffrage, which is
I" collect the sense OF the whole community,
will be subscrvca. There is effected neither
exclusive representation Of the majority, nor
exclusive representation Of the minority but
representations The proposition
is that the cumulative system secures thor
ough and general representation of all the in.
terests in the political body TO illustrate
the system: Under the present electoral sys.
tenn of the State, in a community Of 200 vo.
ters, l0l elect cprcscnativcS-say four-fo for
the entire body That is, ont Of 200 voters
lOl impose their reprcscn ativcs upon the 90.
The 80 have no rcprcscntntvcs-ar virtually
dstranchiscd. Now, under the operation Of
the cumulative system Of voting, assuming
that, in the same community, the 200 arc
equally divided politically, the representation
would be equally divided 1t may be math.
emntlcally stated thus: 1000 voters 500
voters 81. Under the operation of such
q system, each party would of necessity cal
culnte its strength in advance, and seek to
elect only the number proportionate to its nu-
mcrcal strength. For instance, in certain
community, let nS assume thot there are 900
Dem Gratis and 5000 Republican voters, and
that there arc three persons to be elected
The 5000 Democrats have $4,000 votes.
The 5000 Republicans have $1,000 votes,
1t tho Democrats were to attempt to elect all
three representatives, they could give each
only 5000 votes, which would result in their
securing no representative, as tho Repubi.
cans, being able to give each of their candi-
dates 8 1000 votes, would elect them all. On
tho other hand, if tho Republicans werc to
attempt to elect oil their representatives.
they could give each only 5000 votes, which
would result in the defeat of one, as the
Democrats could cumulatc their $4,000 upon
one oandidntc, and thus elect him. The ef-
feet would be that each party would, of nc.
cessity, cunulate it's strength and there would
result a proportional reprercscnton. In the
Al. IA.