Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-03-08
Nashinqton Standard.
oLYItIA, SAirlpAY YoIsNG. lar, S, 1878.
ANEW SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION.

ANEW SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION.
A recent pamphlet, claiming to sug-
gest " The True Method of Rerresen-
ta!ion in Large Constituencies is be-
fo.e us, written by DR.. c. c. p. Clark,
OF Oswegc, n. V, and prefsced by the
cordial endorsement of the venerable
rcformer and philanthropist, Peter
Cooper. The object stated is to afford a
method by which the independence of
the voter and the average intelligence
and virtue of a community will have
free scope and fair representation in
the government of the country.
In stating the causes for change,
the corruption that pervades every
branch of the Civil Service is cited as
the primary object. The people through
the representation of politicians are
voiceless and powerless, their interests
misunderstood, neglected or sacrificed.
The day when the honors of off:c al Sta
ton exceed its emoluments has passed
away. Instead of the patriotism and
sterling integrity that prevailed in the
administration of public affairs, few
years ago, we have on every hand as
founding evidence that stealing has be-
come respectable. A morbid selfish
ness has supplanted the laudable ambi-
ton of those seeking official station.
Honesty is the exception and corrup-
ton the general rule. Investigation is
but farce, and the perfect immunity
of the criminals an indication of the
weakness of public justice. One of the
last acts of the late Congress, the white
washing report of Poland on the Gre
dit Mobilier corruption, and the action
by which the resolution of expulsion of
two of the participators was changed to
mild reprimand, are instances calcu-
lated to shake the confidence of the most
sanguine adherents of the dominant
party in the honesty Of its greatest men.
The author asserts that SO corrupt
have become the foundations of the po-
litical structure that :" the honorable
and intelligent are learning to avoid
politics and public life, and that which in
a rightly constituted society would alb
sorb much of the highest talent, is left
in the main to minds of low order of
intelligence and of unstable princi-
pies"
The cause Of this state Of public af-
fairs is attributed to the hold which
professional politicians-corrupt men
and demagogues-have upon the party
machinery by which the popular will is
controlled and made to operate against it
self. The writer affirms the truism, owe
shall have good government when the
people elect good men, "and shows that
in small communities, where the candi-
dates are known to each voter, compe-
tent and honest officers are generally
selected, who are really representa-
tives of the public will. In large con-
stituencies, however, this individual
knowledge is not possessed by the voter,
and he may be either bound by politi-
cal machinery, or made the victim of
some artful demagogue, and induced to
vote against his own interests and the
interests of society.
The great remedy suggested by this
learned Doctor, the panacea for all the
ills to which the body polite is subject,
is by transferring the privilege of elect
ing officers to representative electors,
chosen by lot from the registered voters
OF a ward, town or other subdivision.
These names are drawn by properly
constituted authority, same as the
names of jurors are now drawn from
the panel, until the whole are divided
by fifties OF hundreds, into as many
lists as the register will fill. Each list
will constitute primary electoral con-
s:ituency, and each of these chooses a
representative elector who is by law for
hidden to decline to serve two years OF
such other length of time as may be
prescribed. The body of representa-
tives so chosen in any ward or town
will constitute a college of electors TO,
the officers of such ward or town, and
appoint its aldermen, justices of the
peace, marshal, and all other public
functionaries. They will also appoint
one or more electors of a higher class
to represent them in higher college
for the selection Of county officers and
members of the assembly. This sec.
onday college in every county, will