The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-06-13
Cumulative voting .

1
Cumulative Voting.
i There is an impression abroad
| that the Cumulative plan of voting
| is a complicated system which can
not be acted upon intelligently by
! the voter unless he has a general
knowledge of the higher mathemat-
les. 1t is intimated that a man can
not cast his vote at all by this mode,
without an affective spell of cipher
ing in the rule of three, in order to
determine the proportion of votes to
be cast for each candidate.
This is a great mistake.
The cumulative system is simple
that the most illiterate persona
plantation negro, the editor of the
Times Chronicle, any coalheaver on
the docks-can understand if.
If there is anything man may be
supposed to know with perfect ac-
curaey it is, how to cast three or
more votes when he has the privil-
ege ofcasting them just as he pleas
es-all for one man, or in any other
manner that suits him. This is pre-
cisely what is meant by the cumula-
tive vote. Is there any complexlty
in it2 AS matter of fact, we may ap-
peal to Mr.. Medilrs letter, written
to the editor ofthis paper soon after
the first election in Illinois under
the system; and still further 10 the
letter from the same excellent au-
thority to Hon. Samuel F. Hunt, of
the Constitutional Convention, which
we publish this morning.-Stdte
Journal.
MAYoR's OFFICE, CHICAGO, May 81.
Hon. s. F. Hunt, Ohio Constitutional Convention:
DEAR SIR-You ask me whether
the system of minority representa-
ton adopted in Illinois operates to
the satisfaction of our people? 1 un-
hesitatingly reply in the affirmative.
1t proves in practice to be just what
was promised and predicted in its
behalf. The experiment is conceded
to be quite successful and is regard
ed as a great Improvement on the
old one-sided system of representa-
ton. 1t is far more popular now
than it was a year ago, before the
first election under it. Then there
we're doubts as to its practicability.
Its opponents said the people would
not be able to comprehend it, and
that confusion would result at the
polls; that bad men would slip into
the Legislature by its means; that it
would enable the minority to rule
the majority, and that the interests
of the people would be harmed or
sacrificed, etc.
None of those prognostications of
evil have come to pass. The voters
understood the new system without
difficulty or much explanation, and
discovered nothing abstruse or in
comprehensive in it. They were
quick to discern that it gave them
increased power and liberty of ac-
ton, and that the old and arbitrary
restrictions on the freedom of the
ballot were removed, and they viii
be slow to consent to yield back the
cumulative vote or totality represen-
tatioD.
The new system commends itself
as more democratic than the old.
The whole mass of the people are
now represented in the popular
branch, instead of mere majority,
as formerly. Every voter, whether
Democrat or a Republican, has
now the man of his choice in the As
sembly to represent him. Neither
party is now unrepresented in any
district. The minority is no longer
practically disfranchised, as was
previously the case. The rule of
the majority is not impaired or dis
turbed. The stronger party at the
polls have control of the House, but
the weaker one is represented in
proportion to its strength. The un-
just monopoly of representation is
broken. Every Democratic district
elected two Democrats and one Re-
publican, and every Republican dis
trict two Republicans and one Dem
ocrat to the House. The exceptions
to this rule only occurred when
candidate of the stronger party was
unpopular, or that of the weaker
party the filter man to such degree
as to constrain enough of his oppo-
nents to vote for him to elect him.
No party advantage was gained from
those exceptional cases, because they
were as numerous on one side az the
other-gains and losses balancing
each other.
1t was noticeable fact that, tax
en- as a whole, the so-called "minori-
ty members" were the ablest men.
Several of the strongest and most |
conspicuous members were sent to
the Assembly by the ''plumping"
votes of the minority, showing that
the weaker party, as q rule, were
more careful and conscientious in