, 1880-12-25

t1ie tcfee{s Of tho cumulative voting rlall."
Not only 80, Int It believes tl,at fully tl,rpc-
foMrtls nf tho vutcrs of tliia State ayo hc-
cunlo convinced of tho mntits Of tint pint.
II las brDlsen up sectlonatsM III tho l.eEls-
lnturc, mud l,as Answered ovcry purpose
that was intenttc.i by tho Constitutional Co.l-
vettton' which propuscd 1t to the people.
Tilrre were formerly al}Out sixty southern,
counties In this State whtct, were solidly
Democratic md forty northern counties
which woro solt,t,y isupub1.car. Roughly
speaking, MI tho Btnls sut,tll of n limo drawn
! east nil.t west from Daityflo TO Warsaw ,yas
Democratic, alla all north OF That Inc 1tc-
p,iblfcan. Ab0ut sixty counties went Delno-
| cru.lc CIT tnasse, and forty counties 1iop,,l-
| lican likcwlsc. TlN northern counties, betng
Tho lurger ones, generally oyerpowcred tho
more numerous, but smaller, counties.
as often rs tile Legislature met parties
| confronted each other by ao1ld scctaOns. 1t
was Northern Illinois ngutnst Southern ILL.,
upls, md 1,lcc rcrstt; which, wns MI exccctI.
ingiy ba.l state Of things. The General AS
se,nbly wns full OF sectional Jealousy, mil
mostly, suspicious, md bitterness. THO
largo minority OF Republicans In the south
l,alf Of tho Statc was tlnrcprcsented MID
smotl,ercd out Of sight and Hearing, alul tho
Democrats Of Ills end Of tho Stato did not
fare much butter.
Ntin0rfty-reprcsentation Inns changed NIL
this for tho butter. FROM uycry part of ILL.,
,lofs buttt parties arc nnw represented, and III
proportion to their strength; md MI fnlihitly
better feeling exists III thu Legislature sinco
sectional lines l,uye bccn abolished. Alnui-
bcrs are no longer divided into two sectional
cnmt,s: tho "NortI" a1iti South" nrc now
friends. THE Egyptian Democrats fs1il thif-
ty or forty acknowledgements from "Ca-
nnnn," and frnternize cordially wilt, them;
wnlio tllo Republican pl,a'anx from tho
North find thirty Or forty Republicans from
Egypt, n1rl l,nii them as loRg-fost brethren.
Thus the two cstrnngcd sections nre brought
into relations of rcapect, confidence n1l
friendship, by means Of n,inority-reprcscntd
tton.
It sometimes does happen, rs the Journal
complains, that, by plumptng' for olle Of
twa cnn,1tntcs, tho other onu Is defeated ;
but ono sido loses rs nuncl, by this rs tho
other, and. wien It occurs, It Is generally tho
, dishonest work of tho candidate himself,
|. who trcaclcrously sacrtIccs Ills colleague In
: order to make sure of lts own election. hut,
, under the old system, when two, three, or
> four candidates were running fur tho Lcgts.
; laturc In 4 district, 1t often happened Tint
r ono of them would bo scratched md defeated
t 1t the district WINS close. 80 thas oo)ccto!l
t raised by onr "estecmea contemporary
+ amounts to nothing; nrdauy way tho people
:, llaye right 10 " scratch - or "p1utnp just
: rs nucl, rs they please, md 1t is noboly's
: business but tl,elr own.
Q 6nne narrow.1ni'leca partlsnns oi the Efao
r all pnrsunsIon md Col'rt-llo.lso ring poll
y tlcians have always opposed tho prlhelpo q
J, proportional representation for low-lown
4 partisan rcaaons, mid always VIII. INT tlaa
II makes no 'ratter 80 long as tho pr1nciploa Il
!. right. .--
+ If Mr.. SrrinEor's plan OF mtnorlty repro
It scatntt"n iii tlla Lower House OF congress
+ could bc 1nndo to operate Under inc saint
= conditions rs those which prevail III l''lhos
l. TIE IHinuSE would 1lilliesl'at'nE'y appfos'
Il Oh IT. "11e ~ "ou''' "''eo.p.e''s w p.A."
q IL tho whole country. But, rs VIC puihtet