The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-02-21
ssinoritv Representation.

AFR II spiri,. d leading gssan In liiiio's, y
ont fin a iesser in which he .,.
tho & yYstem qf minority epresen $500 ~,
Ysa,en was adopted an his state severn g.
years aeo, ii 50 popular that i cannos =
dana away ssith-that Is, that INC Less So
8 ma syo,,,, not dare ,o repeal the law esao-
isSbins 4. he cites the facis that previous
a. iis adoption The southern portion Of sas
) sts,e known as ssIigypt, rarely elected =
Republican, md the mort ipprtlon'
known as - Eanaaus' as rarely eiectsa q
! democrat, and that now one third 81 tpe
rf,s;rese ;atiyss iroh each oi those sections
are Of the minority party as ta'e De pess !,
n-oofs which he could bring forward
that tho system Is success 81 III =
desirable one. There is a charming aprr
nsarsnce Of fairness mall schemes Of minors
~ representation which renders them at.
tractive to almost every person at the hfs :!
glance. It seems to be the proper thing
that each OF The two parties in a city %
county should be entitled to representation
in proportion to its numbers. Thus sooS s.ei
inf, almost aay; plan which premises 20 scFr
complish that end 40 apt 20 beacceptehoy
fhe average voter as one worthy Of ms sup
port. lie. looks ut, only one side .ok the
tqsesssess, sor at any rate hetiooks atthe mat.
terin int one Hight. ~ rs ts3 !. 8 Il ,g.s
here are two sides at least even TO
J this "a ssiestion Of minority representation.
Every plan for securing such representation
which we have seen is e temptation To- the
formation OF factions, and offers premium
10 the dangerous classes in sny co,sn unity
! The system In operation in Illinois afiects
only elections for members Of the Lcsisla-
t,ipe, we think, and allows no party cons st
tuting less than one, Third OF the voters 70
be entitled to special representation. 1t may,
Therefore, have failed to develop as yet the
] evils OF the system, and may still have 9
seeming OF desirableness. Itwilb however,
lathe end, we doubt not, give the people OF
Illinois good reason to'hold that their fathers
were wiser 10 respect OF this matter than
they will have proved themselves to be.
The basis Of The system is the idea that the
majority OF the voters have no right.to rule
the minority, nor to make laws Tor them.
The result fof the system will be It be 1divi-
sion OF the community into irrecoscilab'e
factions. Let us suppose that there are i've
,counciImen to elect in each ward In this city
under The system in question. Itwould allow
oueihird, or one fourth OF the voters to elect
.a.certain proportion OF the members. There
might be 600 votes cast for the majority
Ticket and only 30i for the minority ticket,
and vet one or more OF the candidates
whose names. were ON the minority ticket
would be elected. Tie majority; would
thus gradually become an object OF con-
tempt, and every faction an object iof more
respect than it would be entitled to. The
negroes could elect one or more members
i'm anv ward in the. city. So could, any
large denomination Of religious people. so
could any reryjlarge class Of the commu-,
nifty, whether secret societies, church-mem-
.tess, foreigners, laborers,. tobacco-factory
employees, iron-men, OF what not. The mo'
ment any class or body OF men should find
that they constituted one third or, one
fourth OF the voters in the community, that
moment the temptation to set up for them
selves would begin to have its effect upon
them. True republicanism, therefore, it
would still appear, is to be found in the
rule OF the majority. 1F.Sl r.. H.. i@E