The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-05-18
NIGHT SESSION.

I
ton, which wasreferred, with all others, to the
Executive Committee:
Rssolped, That this Convention, representing
the ta.x-payers of the State of South Carolina,
and authorized tosspeak for them, solemnly
declare the intention Of the people to resist by
alllawful means the payment of any debt here
after contracted by the present State govern.
iment, or, by any subsequent. government, in
which the property. holders of the State are
not represented.
Mr.. Simons introduced the following reso.
lution:a
Resolped, That this Convention of the Prop.
erty.holders,a and Taxpayers Of the State of
South Carolina, dohereby deem.it our duty to
declare that the bonds heretofore issued, with.
out legal sanction. and the so-called sterling
loan. or any other bonds or obligations here
,after.issued, purporting to be under, and by
virtue Of the authority of this State, as at pres
emit constituted, ,,wiu not be held binding on us,
and that we recommend to the people OF the
State In every manner and atsall times, to
resist the payment thereof or the enforcement
of any tax to pay the same, by all legitimate
means within our power.
Resolred. That we deem it our duty;to warn.
all persons. not to reserves by way OF purchase,
loan or otherwise, any bond or Obligation
hereafter issued purporting to bind the proper
:ty or pledge the credit of the State, and that.
all such bonds or obligations be held null and
void. as having been issued corsuf'tly, lmproyl-
dently, and for fraudulent purposes, and IN
derogation of the rights of that portionof the
people of this State upon whon the public
burdens are made forest.
Resolrea, That committee OF iye be ap.
pointed to investigate and report plan. to re-
I'll 10 for.xr n
the representatives, of the Fire Loan securities
of the State, which have been practically re-
pudiated by the State authorities, with view
to repair the damage to the good faith and
honor of the State, by influencing an early IL
ouidation ofthese obligations.
Mr.. Adams introduced the following pream-
BILE and resolutions:
Whereas, taxation without adequate repre-
sentation is an anamoly in true Republican
government; and, whereas. the taxpayers OF
the State of South Carolina are now laboring
under the intolerable burdens arising from non
representation in the legislative councils OF the
State, be it, therefore,
Resolced by the delegates of the Tax
payers of South Carolina, In Convention
assembled, That they recommend to His Ex-
cellency the Governor suspension OF the col
lection of taxes for the year 1871 until the ad-
iournment of the next session of the Leglsla-
ture.
Resolued, 2. That it is the sense of this Con-
yenrion that the necessities of the taxpayers OF
the State of South Carolina iraperatively re.
auire such suspension.
Mr.. j. P. Thomas, of Richland, on behalf Of
the Executive Committee, to whom was re-
ferred the question of the expediency of the
cumulative system of voting. or such system as
will protect the right of minoritics, asked leave
to make the following reports.
The means of protecting the rights OF mi.
norites in representative forms of government
has, for long period. engaged the attention OF
thoughtful minds. In Europe, as wei! as in
this country, this question has been fully dis
cussed, and a satisfactory solution anxiousy
sought. So defective is the system OF mere
majority rule. SO fragrant are the abuses to which
it is liable, that the necessity for its modifca-
ton strikes with force every impartial observer.
II is obvious that the needs Of good govern
ment require that some effective organism be
devised for the protection of minorities.
Your committee. deem it unnecessary to
enter upon an analysis of the several schemes
of proportional representation that have been
suggested. Enough to say that, in their
Judgment, the plan of cumulative voting
best accomplishes the end in view-best
makes representation coextensiye with the
whole body of the electors. This plan obtains
wherever there is no more than one officer to
be selected. 1t gives the elector as many votes
as there are persons to be chosen, and allows
him to bestow his votes upon the whole num-
Der or to concentrate them upon any number
less than the whole. The effect of this system
is to give to each political interest in COM
munity representation proportionate
to its numerical strength. Under its opera
ton the true Office of suffrage, which is to col
lect the sense Of the whole community, will
be subserved. There is effected neither ex-
elusive representation of the majority; nor ex-
elusive representation of the minority; but pro.
portional representation. The proposition is,
that the cumulative system secures through
general representation, all the interests IN
the political body To illustrate the system,
under the present electoral system! of the
State, in a community of two hundred voters,
one hundred aud one elect representatives.
soy four, for the entire body. That is, out OF
two hundred voters, one hundred and one i'm.
pose their representatives upon, the minority OF
ninety-nine. The ninety;nine have no repre-
sentatives are virtually disfranchised.
Now. under the operation of the cumulative
system of voting, assuming that the same COM
munity the two hundred, are equally divided
politically, the representation would be equally
divided. 1t may be mathematically stated
thus-1,OoO voters, are to 500 voters as two to
one. Under the operation of such system,
each party would, of necessity, calculate its
strength in advance, and seek to elect only the
number proportionate to its numerical strength.
For instance, in a certain community, let US
assume that there are 5000 Democrats and
9. 900 Republican voters, and that there are
three persons to be elected: The 5000 Demo
Gratis have $4,000 votes. The 5000 Repubh-
cans have $1,000 votes. If the Democrats
were to attempt to elect all their representa-
tives, they could give each only 5000 votes,
which would result in their securing no repre-
sentative, as the Republicans being able to
give each of their candidates 5000 votes.
would elect them all. On the other hand, if
the Republicans were to attempt to elect all
their representatives, they could give each only
5000 votes, which would result in the defeat
of one, as the Democrats could cumulate their