Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

ments of the future, are familiar to most Nell-read men. But now, all the signs of the times indicate that the whole subject is destined to be discussed not only by men of letters, but by political caucusses, conventions, corporations, congresses. and parliaments. In England, it is already up for debate, in and out of Parliament, under the name of the cumulative vote, and, strangely enough, it gets it's chief support there from the natural op- ponents of all ehange-the Tories, who have joined portion of the Liberals in advocating it because they see, or think they see in it, device to save them, in a measure, from the effects of an extension of suffrage to the working classes These proposed eorrectives of the present in equality ill representation shall now briefly describe-premising that the 'scu- initiative vote" is simply a scheme to af- ford a proper representation of minori- ties, while MT. Hale's plan aims at doing far more; hence the two must not be con founded, although nearly allied.
 The cumulative vote proper, as urged in Great Britain, is a very simple affair. We have an instance of it, in it's rudest form, in the manner in which delegates were elected at large to the Constitutional Convention in the State of New York. It was first proposed in England by Lord John, now Earl, Russell, in 1854. His proposition was to increase the number of ''three-corner constituencies (that is. electoral districts entitled to three mem bers), but to restrict voters from giving their voices for more than two of the rep resentatives. Of course, under this rule. the majority would always have two of the members, and the minority, if large enough to be respectable, the remaining one. Now, if there were only sufficient number of these ''three-corner" con- sistencies, the minority would be sure of fair representation. However, this schemes at best, recognizes, only two par ties in the State, and gives no representa- tion to the minor interests and opinions which exist in all free governments, apart from the leading political organizations.
 Another scheme proposed in England is to allow the elector one vote, as now, for every representative to be chosen, and in addition, second vote for the candidate he most prefers. The alteration from the system of voting, as it now exists, con- sists simply in allowing each elector one additional vote, which he may give to his favorite candidate. If he favors only one candidate, he will give that candidate both votes, and none to any of the others.
 If he wishes to split his vote he can do so as freely as at present.
 Of course, schemes of this kind are more applicable to Great Britain than to this country; but modification of this cumulatlYe-vote system, adapted to all modes of voting, is practicable here, and indeed has, in rude and unscientifc ma al I %,.a .l. of delegates at large to the New York scheme to secure the best and wisest members of both the majority and minor ity parties the organization of the New York County Board of Supervisors is an- other, though perhaps an unfortunate, in- stance of an attempt in the same direc- tion. The prime defect in those cases is that both the delegates and the supervi- sors are practically elected by irresponsi- ble party conventions the subsequent popular voting being mere form.
 We pass now to the plan proposed by by MT. Thomas Hare, ill book published in London, in 1858, and thus described by John Stuart Mill:
 According to this plan, the unit of rep resentation, the quota of electors who who would be entitled to have member for themselves, would be ascertained by the ordinary process of taking averages, the voters being divided by the number of seats in the House; and every candi- date who obtained that quota would be returned, from however great a number of local constituencies it might be gather ed. The votes would, as at present, be given locally, but any elector would be at liberty to vote for any candidate, in what ever part of the country he might offer himself. Those electors, therefore, who did not wish to be represented by any of the local candidates might aid, by their vote, In the return of the person they liked best among all those throughout the country who had expressed a willingness to be chosen. This would 30 far give re- ality to the electoral rights of the other wise virtually disfraflchised minority. But 1t is important that not those alone who refuse to vote for any of the local candi- dates, but those also who vote for any of them and are defeated, should be enabled to find elsewhere the representation which they had not succeeded in obtaining in their own district. It is therefore provid- ed that an elector may deliver voting paper containing other names in additian
 
 preference. His vote would only be counted for one candidate; but if the ob. ject of his first choice failed to be re- turned, from not having obtained ths quota, his second, perhaps, might be more fortunate. He may extend the list to greater number in the order of his preference, so that if the names which stand near the top of the list either can mt n "a 6ro ,11 A~> make it up without his vote, the vote may still be used for some one whom it may assist in returning. To obtain the full number of members required to complete the House, as we'll as to prevent very pop ular candidates from expressing nearly all the suffrages, it is necessary, however many votes a candidate may obtain, that 10 more of them than the quota should ,e counted for his return; the remainder of those who voted for him would have their votes counted for the next person on iheir respective lists who needed them, and could by their aid complete the
 uota.
 ''To determine which of a candidates votes should be counted for his return, and which set free for others, several methods are proposed into which we shall mt here enter. He would, of course, re- tain the votes of all those who would not otherwise be represented; add for the re- msinder, drawing lots, in default of bet ter, would be an unobjectionable expe- dent. The voting papers would be con- vyed to central office, where the votes wmld be counted, the number of first, ,sec- ont, third and other votes given for each candidate ascertained, and the quota would be allotted to every one who could make it up, until the number of the Hmse was complete; first votes being pre- fer,ed to the second, second to third, and so brth. The voting papers, and all the clements of the calculation, would be plaed in public repositories, accessible to al whom they concerned"
 Ths may seem very complex to the gen. ralteader. But, so far as the voting is concerned, it is an exceedingly simple mater. All the elector has to do, in the casepf member of Congress. for instance is towrite down the names of his candi- date in the order of his preference. e-~~ IL | 1s-l