Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-03
Wafrhntan d gunrnaL.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1880.
Representation.

stract doctrine admits of no discussion. |
Whether its practical application, like some
other theories, in all cases and under all cir |
cumstances is possible or desirable is, per-
haps, even less debatable Many Unequal
tiles in the detailed application of general
theories good enough in the abstract, are
inevitable. Every legal voter is entitled to
one, and only one, ballot in all our elections.
The poor man, dependent on his daily labor,
has one vote. The rich landowner or the
great capitalist is entitled to no more.
This general principle of equal suffrage
does not descend to details Of wealth or in
tellect or social position in its application.
Between these two extremes, the very poor
and the very rich, exists the golden mean,
the great free-holding class, the voters of a
fair average in property and intelligence,
where this inequality disappears, aud from
whence the application of the general prin-
ciple derives its sanction. The operation
of our free institutions, with the equalizing
tendencies of civilization, must be depended
upon to narrow down the distance between
these two extremes. If the wealthy land
lord or capitalist voted at the polls as he
does on his bank or railroad stock, accord
ing TO his possessions, or if the small free
holder had vote while his poor neighbor
had none, aristocratc classes would be per-
petuated and our society end as society al
ways has ended under similar circumstances,
in violent and sanguinary political con-
WILSON'S.
This apparent inequality in the extremes
of society in the distribution of the ballot
extends inevitably to the exercise of collec-
tive or representative suffrage in our legis-
lative assemblies. Senator Henry proposes
to amend the constitution by reducing the
number of representatives to one hundred
and fifty, apportioned among the counties
according to population. We suppose one
purpose of the amendment is to remove ex-
listing inequalities in the ratio of represent
tation. The Free Press in discussing this
measure lays great stress upon the fact that
the town of st. George in Chttenden
county, with its ninety-three inhabitants
and twenty-four voters, has equal voting
power in the house with Burlington Som
erset in Windham, sixty-seven inhabitants,
eighteen voters, is pitted against ST. Adams
in Franklin; and Baltimore in Windsor,
seventy-one inhabitants compared with Rut-
lands Il, 151 Extreme cases prove nothing,
aud the examples cited are so thoroughly
exceptional that they are by no means de-
cisive against the existing system. The
number of these extremely small towns is
even less than the large ones the latter
could out-vote the former two to one in the
house and probably can outtalk and out
influence them in much larger ratio.
These two extremes stand related to each
other substantially as the very poor and the
very rich voter in our popular elections.
There are only six really large towns,-those
having 5000 inhabitants or over. Their
total population is 4S,749 against $780, 4s in
the state 1t does not appear that these small
towns have domineered over the large ones
or that the latter have failed to obtain,
through the adverse votes of the former,
any reasonable legislation which they have
asked Between these two extremes lies
the great majority of towns having popu-
lation so nearly equal that no serious vio-
lence is done, even to the abstract principle
of representation on the basis of population,
by allowing one representative to each
town. BY the Henry amendment the ratio
of representation would be one to about
twenty-five hundred. BY the present town
system, on the average, the ratio is one to
thirteen hundred and eighty. Without
going into the details of the comparisons it
will be found that this latter number is not
far from the average for each county, and
runs very closely with the populations of
the great majority of the towns in the
state. So that it does not appear that there
is any sufficient reason to discard the town
ship system on the score of any gross or
general inequality in the basis of represen-
tation. Examinations and comparisons will
develop the fact that house of one hun
dred and fifty members will work as great,
and perhaps greater, inequalities in the ratio
OF representation as exist under the present
system. There will be large fractions which
must either go unrepresented, or for which
one representative must be added. A great
many towns are just too small to come
within the required ratio, and if contiguous
towns are united to form election districts the
districts will have too large ratio of people.
Many towns would have from five hundred
to thousand people more than the ratio,
for which an extra representative must be
allowed, or the large fraction DISTINGUISHED.
The remedy for this difficulty would be the