The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-27
CUMULATIVE VOTING.

Esittor DenoGat-The rapid advance OF science
and civilization in the last decade has had a
marked tendency in the direction OF modifying
and changing our civil poiity. A respectable
majority of our bar is opposed TO the present
jury system. In New YORK the oppqshi9n 70 II
is assuming organized opposition. In Alabama
the law in relation to pleading has been entirely
changed and in other States the election laws
have been so modified that cumulative Young
tenn. As this subject has recently attracted gene
raj attention, we shall give brief account OF II.
The system of cumulative voting. which means
augnenting by addition, requires districts large
enough for each to send several representatives.
A voter then has as many votes as there are rep
resentatives for his district but he is not obliged
to east them for that many candidates He
may give them all to one, or divide them as
he pleases among several Supposing dis,
trisf containing 500 votes OF one party. and
500 of another, has to eject seven rep
resentatives. The majority can then. cast
a 90 votes. and the minority 5000. Politicians
are accustomed to estimate their strength before
every election. and the larger party VIII perhaps
nominate only four candidates, to each oil whom
it can give 1850 votes. Ii the other party nomi
mates but three. 1t can give them i.d56 votes
each: II four. $50 each, eleting three in each
case. Ii Ii dominates more than four. the larger
party may nominate I've, gynf them sic eac
ing in time, 1t may restrict its votes to four OF its
candidates. and elect them. leaving the larger
party only thfe tso SUI gr ot a aaanoes
party managers are shrowd calculators. The
plan leaves untouched the control Of the nOml-
nations by professional politicians, and it does
nothing towards enabling a constituency to re-
call representative. Still it is fuller repre-
seutation of the people than the common one.
1t has been advocated in Penns ylvania under the
name OF free vote" and has been Incorporated
in the new constitution of Illinois. An important
variety OF this system has been adopted by
the British Parliament for large constituencies,
and has been in use for many years in Phlla-
delphia In the election of school directors. 1t is
generally known as limited voting. The majority
obliged by law to confine its votes to a certain
proportion Of the number 70 be elected, and the
minority secures the rest. In addition to Phila-
delphia we believe that the system has been
adopted in Mobile, in the election Of the Board
Of Directors of Public Schools.
To show the evils of the present majority sys-
TEN. we shall select some of the State elections
Of 1863. Take Maryland, for instance. The DEM
ocratic party east 81, 375 votes obtained a MAORI
ty in every district, and elected every member of
both HouseS. Ill in number; yet the Republican
party east y, 1873 votes. and elected nobody. The
result was that a majority Of the successful men,
bers could pass any law they pleased, though
they received only about one-third Of the votes
cast.
The minority Of their own party was outvoted
and the opposite party counted for nothing.
The ease OF Maryland was practically the same
in Kansas. some OF the New England States, New
York and California. We cite these instances TO
prove the evil and the inefficieney Of the major
ity system Of voting. in the hope that the Leg1s-
lature of louisiana may adopt system which
gives both parties q fair representation, and ex-
tends to the minority. In any event a respectable
showing to which it is entitled in free, popular
government. 0. T. @