The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-23
nsapport,oning Representation-Agair

H00UpOfI1Op1uS NepEeSciitosAoaaT <>ess~,@-
Tue claim that proportional representa-.
don would destroy sectionalism Is based
upcu The fact that II would give to mt.
uorpy in any State the absolute power 10
elect 10 Congress- representatives holding
the same opinions as that minority. Under
thc present system, the minority In any dis
trict must grow to be majority before II
can choose a representative. There Isl
therefore. constantly presented to the per
sons constituting the minority temptation
70 so over to the majority. They are apt to
DESPAIR Of convincing enough OF their neigh
bor~ that they arc Ia the right to bring their
side up toa majority. Sometimes they seek
new issues. as has been very well illustrated
IN the course Of the national Democratic
party during the last sixteen years. Pro-
porlional rcpres, NATION would change all
these things, and empower minorities TO I'M
press their theories and schemes upon tue
2tefs.a,iou Of the country. Certainly ~
would enable them 10 air those theories IN
the balls of Congress, and secure for them
. national bearing.
II The House OF Representatives OF 1851
had been chosen under q system OF pro-
por,ionai representation, there could have
been. we suppose, no measures passed
through that body intended TO coerce the
southern States into remaining in the Union'
The negroes had no votes then; and as the
pconle OF the southern States were prac-
tically q unit as against the use OF force 10
preserve, the Union, whilst the northern
people were divided upon the question,
feycn HORACE GREELEY deprecating re-
sort 10 i'll 1t would have been almost impos-
sible 10 have induced the Democrats OF the
North 10 surrender their States.rghts doc
trines, since they would have known that
though a minority they would always be
able 10 elect their share OF the representa-
tives ia Congress.
We might go back step further, and say
that the question OF the use OF force to pre-
serve the Union would never have been
presented 10 Congress II proportional re-
presentation in tina. body had been allowed.
The Union men Of the South, though after
ward. joining with the Secessionsts in re-
sis.ing the use OF force, were numerous
enough up TO the beginning OF the year
1851 10 have elected under a system Of pro-
portional representation, not merely one
here and there as they did. but more
than a third OF all The southern repre-
senfatives in Congress and Of all the men,
bers Of southern State Legislatures,
and southern State Conventions. A war
would hardly have been possible under
such circumstances. The Union might have
remained as it was, with all OF It's States.
or. IL South Carolina and one or two other
States had seeded, and Congress had re-
fused TO employ force to compel them to
cone back, the people OF those States would
soon baye spoken through the balot.boX in
favor OF returning TO the Union. The bene-
fits Of the post-office, and OF being free
from tariff exactions, and OF constituting
portion OF nation which no other nation
would dare to attack, and other considera-
Tins. would probably have made short work
OF secession.
These, however, are but specu'atloDs. IL
Is possible that the system OF representation
of which we are writing would in practice
prove 10 be very different thing from what
It IL supposed 1t would be. We saw last
week, however, that in the case OF the cleo.
ton OF the directors Of certain bank in
Philadelphia the minority OF the stock
holders were able under the cumulative
system OF voting to Dust director obiec-
tionable to them, although majority OF the
stockholders would have kept him in place.
There are various ways for securing pro-
portional repres entation. One system ale
lows the voters 10 cast either one vote for
each OF as many directors, or congress
men, or legislators, as are to be
chosen, or to cast as many votes
for one director, congressman, or legislator.
as there are directors, &c, TO be elected, or
to divide his votes between several caDdi-
dates. In the Philadelphia case mentioned
above, each stakeholder had the right to
vote for twenty directors, OF to cast twenty
votes for one director, or two for five, DC.
and each stakeholder of the minority did
cast twenty votes for one man, and elected
that one man. The majority could OF
course In such cases elect any one man IL
they chose thus TO cumulate their votes;
hut they are always so bent upon elect
ing more than half OF the officers to be
chosen that they leave 1t TO the minority to
cumulate their votes, 1t being impossible
for the minority to cleo. as many as half Of
the said officers. and also impossible for the
majority 10 elect all Of them. Another
method Of securing proportional repre-
septation is that proposed in Mr.. SPRING
ER's bill for Reproducing representa-
ton In the House OF Representatives.
1t districts the States, and elects say three
or five representatives in district, allow
ing no voter to vote for more than two out
OF the three, or three out Of the five. The
the absolute power TO elect one or two rep.
resentatives in each district. Under this
system the Democrats would elect congress
men in even Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin,
New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachu-
sets, whilst Ia Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, aud New York, they would
probably elect almost half OF them. The
Democrats OF Pennsylvania have hardly
hall the representation In Congress that
they are entitled to. Under system Of
proportional representation, the Democrats
OF the North would have instead Of only one
third or one fourth OF the representatives
in the lower house Of Congress from that
section, very nearly one half OF them.
There would be and could be no solid