The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-04
Complete Representation.

A prominent feature in the proposed ne"
charter for the City of New Yorkis the MI
nority Representation clause. This gives
each voter as many votes as there are per-
sons to be elected in his district, which
votes may be divided amongst the candl'
dates or accumulated upon any one or more
of them. Each party, or interest, can De
represented according to its strength. Ii,
for instance, there be $4,000 Democrats and
50, 900 Republicans in New York, and forty
Alderman are cbosen, the Democrats will
elect twenty-five and the Republicans fifteen
Of them, very nearly. The majority RUE,
but the minority are heard and felt.
Now, il the Radical Reiormers in the
South Carolina Legislature are in earnest,
they can do good service by introducing and
passing Complete or Minority Representa-
tation Bill, under which the Fall elections
for members Of the General Assembly may
be held. All the prominent Radicals IN
South Carolina, in journalism and in IN
mixed politics, have announced themselves
in favor OF Minority Representation. They
know that, if the plan gives the ConserVa,
tives an advantage in one part OF the State,
it secures to the Radicals corresponding
advantage in other sections. It enables Inc
minority not to control the majority, out 10
have that representation which is their due.
They have only the weight to which their
numbers entitle them. 1t is, however, need
less to repeat the well known arguments IN
favor OF Minority Representation. The in
trinsic justice OF the plan is admitted where
ever it is understood, and if Mr.. Bowen hon.
estly desires to give South Carolina decent
and capable government, he cannot adopt a
better course than that OF making himself
the leader OF the movement for the represen-
tation Of minorities. This will not interfere
with the good work OF smashing the Ring
The honest citizens have before them q
double task that OF convicting and punish
;nn tho nnf,Iic rohharn- th0t-Afr~~-."$-
ing new frauds in the future by elevating the
character and improving the tone OF the Leg
islature OF the State. And we may add that
the adoption, by Radical Legislature, OF a
law which would give the Conservatives o
voice in the councils OF the State, would
place the South Carolina Republicans on the
line with the Republican Reformers OF the
East and West, and would keep South
Carolina Radicalism from being regarded as
a constant source Of danger to the National
Republican party. Journals like the Boston
Advertiser and the New York Tribune know
and admit that frauds and robberies such as
those which are confessed by the South
Carolina Radicals must break down any pe-
lltical party which attempts to uphold them.
These journals demand that the administra-
tion OF affairs in this State be purified. And
the adoption of a plan Of Minority Represen-
tation would be, from even their standpoint,
an encouraging sign that their party had not
lost all political sagacity as well as public
virtue. The plan Of minority representation,
which is expected to! be the bulwark OF the
minority in New York, may well serve as
safeguard to the minority 10 South Carolina.
What is demanded as right by the Repub-
lican minorities in the North. cannot be
treated as infamous and wrong when asked
for by the Conservatives in the Southern
States.