Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-16

COg6Qtly JOnn SIGarG 4util endorses this scheme, would do well to consult "Rep- resentative Government" chap. VII, p. 155 to 168. He proclaims Mir. Hare's plan to be of ''transcendent importance" and sees in 1t cure for the most pro- nounced evils of representative institu- tions.
 Of course, the machinery of the Hare plan, which was devised for Great Britain, would not be applicable in every respect to this country. Our members of Con- elected from the country at large; but there is no good reason why they should not be chosen by each State at large If if were feasible to hold national conven- tion to revise the Constitution of the United States, this difficulty might be ar ranged by providing for the election of representatives by groups of States Thus the New England States would form ono group, the Middle States another, the South Atlantic third, and the South west, West, Northwest, and Pacific, fourth, fifth. sixth, and seventh. Every citizen in each of these groups being el- igible, there would be wide liberty of choice for voters, who could select the wisest, most popular, and best of their cit- izens to represent them in Congress. As there is no likelihood of national con- vention being held for some years to come, law of Congress could legalize person al representative vote in each State; and whatever virtue there was in the scheme would soon manifest itself in the larger commonwealths
 In the new Constitution of the State of New York, the plan might easily be tried, in the choice of State Senators; and no new charter for the City of New York will be perfect until personal representation is applied to elections of Aldermen.
 Among the advantages which would arise from the adoption of the Hare scheme, or wise adaptation of the cumu- lative vote in this country, are the follow ing:
 l. It would secure to mlnorlties, be- yond all peradventure, their due repre- rentation in our legislative bodies.
 2. It would revolutionize the conven- tion system, which has heretofore pre- vailed in this country, and perhaps do away with it altogether-thus ridding us of the wire-pulling, log-rolling and cor ruption which the present system necessa- rily entails.
 B. It would dethrone King Caucus, by filling our State and National Legislatures with men who would care more for their reputation throughout the country than for the estimation in which they were held by party managers or local conventions.
 i It would keep in public positions the best and most trusted men in the country, because only those who were widely known could secure the necessary number of votes. Men of marked and in- dependent views would have more chances than they now have, while prize-fghters, gamblers, trading politicians and known corruptionists could not be returned.
 5. It would rob minority votes, such as the ''Irish vote, soldiers vote" "work- ingmen's vote," and the like, of the un- due influence they now exert, because of their assumed power to turn doubtful dis tricts and win party victories, and would thus save us from much questionable leg islation. By giving minorities all the rep resentation to which they are justly enti- tied, the majority becomes, as 1t should be, the true ruling power.
 6. It would not only greatly increase the intellectual and moral power of Con- gress, but would ensure us the first minds in the country as executive officers. Un- der the convention system which has heretofore prevailed, our greatest men lravo heen kept out of the presidential chair, while, under the Huro eoheEna, the most popular man would certainly be elected
 7. It would bring home to every elector the feeling of actual and personal respon- sibility, convert what are now bare ma iorities into unanimous constituencies, and demoralizing political contests into efforts of honorable emulation between candidates.
 The following tables show the popular and electoral votes for President in 1860 and 1864, together with the number of the latter to which each candidate would have been entitled If the electoral vote had been cast in proportion to the popu- lar vote: