Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-02-09
The Two.Thirds Rulc.

The rule which requires a vote Of two
thirds in order to secure the adoption Of any
measure is becoming quite popular in all our
legislative, political and ecclesiastical assem-
blies. No bill can be introduced into Con
gress, no official can be nominated in poit-
ical convention, no change can be effected
in the rules Of a church, without the consent
of two-thirds. The majority are Of no spe-
cial use in the direction Of affairs, unless
the majority can be decreased so that it shall
comprise two-thirds Of the assembly. There
are some very serious objections to such
rule
Firsi-It is contrary 10 democratic and
Republican ideas In a despotsm, the will
Of one man governs In constitutional
monarchy, the will Of the few, supplemented
| by the will Of the monarch controls IN a
republic, or democracy il as been the fundn-
mental principle that the will Of the ma
ority determines all matters. Not that the
minority have no rights, for they have them
They have influence aud moral power They
modify the action Of the majority, and the
minority speedily becomes the majority if
the majority exercises its power without dis
erection. The minority is never destitute of
influence. But it is the foundation idea of
a popular government that the will Of the
people as expressed by the majority shall de-
eide the course OF public affairs. Any change
Of this idea tends to an oligarchy or to q
centralized government II will ultimately
eliminate the rights Of the majority.
Secoad-This twothirds rule takes the
direction Of public affairs ont Of the hands
Of the majority and puts it into the hands Of
minority One.thrd Of n Legislature or
political assembly can dictate and determine
the action which it shall take in any given
ease. If a convention meets to nominate a
President, and adopts q two-thirds rule, the
practical effect Of it is to take the nomina-
ton out Of the control Of the majority and
put it in the powerof the minority. Norman
can receive the nomination who is not ac-
ceptable 90 onc-third Of the assembly. II
oue-third Of the body Is opposed to the
wishes of the majority, it can defeat them
aud force the majority to accept its candi.
date or none. A compact and well drilled
minority practically dominates the Presi-
dent. In Congress, also, this rule gives the
minority the determination Of public affairs
In all the cases where this rule applies, the
minority always controls. And this is CON
trary to the rights Of majoritcs, and to the
true idea OF popular government.
1t often puts public interests into the
hands Of the few active ambitions and sell
fish politicians It gives the demagogues
their power. To get majority Of the votes
Of political assembly might be impossible
10 them. To obtain one-third may be posi-
bic. And with one-tlrird they can force their
own measures.
1t is great mistake, them for people to
suppose that two-thirds vote represents
any more than a one-third interest. It usu-
ally represents only the opinions or purposes
of a small, energetic minority, who seek their
own ends rather than the public good 1t
throws, wherever it prevails the decision
of all questions out of the power of the ma
ority. In board of seven men, three men
can control the entire corporate action. In
a legislature of two hundred, seventy votes
will defeat anything and in a presidential
convention of six hundred two hundred and
one will nominate the candidate. This is
the practical working of the two-thirds rule.