Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-03-10
Minority Representation and APP
H portionment.

standing our boasts OF pOlltlcal pro-
gress we are behind the English in ac-
cording to minorities the right to a
share in legislation. II the assertion
is meant only to apply to this State of
California, it may be correct, but the
plan has been tried in other portions
of the United States, and so far has
been found to work to the satisfaction
of the people. The members of the
late Constitutional Convention OF
Pennsylvania were chosen on the plan
proposed by ex-senator Buckalew,
which is similar in many respects to
the English system referred to by the
Alta, and the result has been in the
highest degree favorable. No ADLER or
more impartial body has ever been
chosen in that State and the Consti-
tuition perfected by it and adopted by
the people of Pennsylvania is very
much superior to the preceding one.
The State of Illinois however, pre-
sents the most conspicuous example
of the adoption of this principle. That
great State in the constitution adopted
in 1870 distinctly recognized the right
of minorities to representation in
the Legislature, and though the pre-
JUDGES of years were hard to over
come, yet a provision for the election
of members of the Assembly on the
cumulative plan, separately submitted
to popular vote, was carried by a
large majority, and is now part of
the organic law. By this provision
the State is divided into fifty-one dis
tricts, each of which is entitled to one
Senator and three members of the As
sembly. In voting for members of the
lower house the elector is allowed to
cumulate his votes or to distribute
them at will. He can thus give each
of three candidates single vote or
can concentrate on two or one. BY
this means a minority can always
have representative unless they COM
prise less than one-third of the voters
in the district, and the result is that
out of the fifty-one districts in the
State there is but one that returned
three representatives of the same
Political faith. In many districts
where parties were pretty even
ly balanced, both sides nomin-
ated two candidates, and then of
course the most unpopular man was
beaten. The good effect Of such
system is very apparent in State
where party feeling has run SO high.
Notwithstanding the Omnipotence of
the caucus, which under the old plan
really decided before any election was
held, and which still to great degree
sways the Judgment of the average
voter, conventions are compelled to
consider the character of their candi-
dates, knowing that if an obnoxious
one is chosen the party runs the risk
of losing a member. Again, there is
nothing like the same temptation ex-
listing to force candidate on the peo-
pie through the familiar tricks re-
sorted to in party caucuses, for NOM
ination is no longer equivalent to
election. So far as tested the plan
works well, and though strenuous
efforts have been made by politicians
to overthrow the system, the people
are well satisfied and will probably
retain, and even extend it further.
The greatest objection to the adop-
ton of such plan in this
State is that it would prevent
the representation of localities, and as
under the present system great
many counties are without repre-
sentative, there conld be no serious
opposition on that score. A preferable
plan we imagine would be to allow
each county to elect single member
on the ordinary plan; an equal or
smaller number should then be elected
on a general ticket, by congressional
districts, with a provision that no
elector shall be allowed to vote for
more than say three-ffths of the
number, or adopting the Illinois plan,
allow the voter to cumulate his ballots
as he chooses. By amending the Con-
stitution so as to make the number of
representations one hundred, there
would, after assigning member to
each county, be forty-eight to elect by
a general ticket. This number might
be apportioned among the present
Congressional districts giving twelve
to each, and by electing them on the
cumulative plan, fair test of its appli-
cability could be had. The plan of ap-
portionment would also give a more
eqitable division of legislative power
than the one now in use. Under the
present apportionment San Francisco
has twelve representatives out of
sevsnty-nine, while the bill now be-
fore the Legislature gives her
twenty. On the basis suggested
above,t the city would get thirteen rep
resentatives out of hundred, and this
we take it, will be nearer her proper
share If a census were taken, and
just distribution made. We are not
prepared to advocate the adoption of
one basis of representation for the
country and another for the city, but