, 1872-11-30

| region. The money branch OF this tTado is car
ried on principally at Kansas City, Missouri one
bank last year passing over its counter s3,00o,'
| 600 cattle money alone.
CUMULATIVE SYSTEM OF VOTING.
The Hon. Josaph medi1l's Opinion a.
to How 1t Works in Illinois.
General Comfy, Editor Ohio stats Journal:
DEAR SR: You esk me-, first, SIS it too early to
(ndge as to the effect Of oumnlatiye voting: in
Illinois :" Second. If not, what do you think
Of it 2"
It is too early 10 tell whether tho cumulative
| gJstem Of voting has given us better body o1
Legislators than the old method would have done
members. It will take several elections and
trials before ne can judge with cer-
/ system in this respect. The most
elected BY minority representation will compare
tavorsbly with the last or any preceding one, so
lar as can judge BY appearances. In This coun-
| II, which embraces ons-seyenth Of the State,
our best men Of neither party could be induced
to be candidates. They coxld not consent to
spare the time to attend the sessions Of the
House, and VIC we're obliged to run the best men
who would accept. II ne have not strong
delegation from this big county, the fault is not
With minority representation, but must be At
tributed to the pressure Of professional aud
3usiness engagements Of the ebler men. Still.
We have secured the servicss OF several GENTLE
men OF very respectable abilities.
But IN another respect the new system has
realized the most sangulue anticipatf6ns Of ita
friends and others. For tue first time in the his
tory OF political organizations, each party ia
represented from every portion Of the State;
and the aggregate representation is exactly in
proportion to the numerical strength Of each
party. Thus the Republicans have elected
eighiy-six u1embers Of the House, and the Demo-
crats slxty-geVen. The Republican rose OF the
State was 240, ,s37; the Democratic vote On
~ average Of 2,soo Republican votes cast for
each Republican member, and 1850 Democratic
votes east Tor each member OF that persuasion.
What could be moro equal or mathematicslly
e1acss The majority party havo conpiete con-
sentation they are entitled to on principles CT
equality. Had the House been elected on tho
old grab al" method, ii would stand, Repub-
Lean s9 Democrat 81. We elected our Senate
BY single districts, aud tho Republicans carried
tniriyssh1ee districts aud the Democrats but
eighteen. Divide the total Republican vote by
tie number Of Senators elected, and tha quo
tent is about 1890 votes to EACH. Divide the
Democratic vote By their Senators elected, and
the quoslent is 10, 400. Thus vou perceive tho
Democrats are not na2rlJ represented in ths
Senate in proportion to their strength, but in
the Houss, which was elected on the minority
representation plan, they laTc secured precisely
principles Of right and jusllco.
Inc Practlea! working Of the two sys:en5, viz:
the 'grab-Rll" and the proportional, waa s5rikk-
ingly e1empIided in this county, which is divided
cans carried a. - :hem and tho Democrats only
one Lut for the other house, the Democrats
elected eight and tbs Republicans thirteen men,
bers, and That is exactly the nuznbar Of mempe-s
each party WAS entitled to in proportion to it's
strength at the polis in this county.
For the fr6t time for many years will the
Democrats OF this city be represented in the
General Assembly by mon Of their choice and
sentiments !; and for the irst time sinca tho Re-
publcan party was organized in Illinois lin 1851
have the Democrats secured Representation
from Northern OF the Republicans from South
ern Illinois, With rare exceptions. The s:7ong-
est and bittazest Democratic districts down III
" Egypt" hava nov, for the first time in the his
tory Of existing parties, elected Republicans to
the General Assembly.
:: send you q Isr Of the members elect from all
the districts beginning with Chicago enI end
ing With Cairo. Mark the number OF Kepul,-
the Thirty-third to the Fifty-drst District inclu-
siyo- These. with two OF three exceptions, hayo
heretofore constituted the Democrat ssronSho1ds
IT our State Also note tho number Of Democrats
from l the FIRST to tho Twenty-sllird-
This territory is called sCanaan" in
to EGYPT" at the opposite
and Of the state.) From this Canaan's far and
1Gppy IAnQ, IamoCra[1c members nave th6re-
'ore been as scarce as white blaok-birds.
Some Of the politicians, before tLe election,
predicted that cumulative voting would cause
10 mnch confusion and mischief that it would
laEe to be abolished right away. The people,
hey said, would never comprehend it, or know
low to vote BY that method and the Judges Of
he election, they predicted, would be un-
Ib1e to count up the votes and mako cor
ect returns. But none OF their evil prognos-
ications came to pass. Tie people seemed to
their new power Of cumulative vot-
rs, and exercised it freely In quite number
II instances they elected two Republicans in
Democratic district or two Democrats in Re-
publican district. This was done by .:plump-
ng" for fayorite candidates, or transferring .
art Of q vote to political opponent on account
# his personal merits or popularity. But the
eneral result did not change the proportional
representation Of parties. Since the election
90 no assaults on the new system IN the illinois
apers, and my opinion is that the press and
eople are well pleased with tho operation OF the
Experiment. Of cumulative voting and propor-
iona representation; and unless it deve1opes
ono hidden weakness or evil, in the future, it
ill be permanently retained in our Constitu-
ion, and extended to other branches end de-
aEtments Of cur State Government. Respect
1lly, yours, JosEPH MEDn1-