The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-01-06
Apalachicoia Tribune.D
Delegates 80 the Cenve-.s

~~1Se01far
The Legislature will have 10 mass -,
act To provide for the calling of and H. J.
Of delegates To the Constitutional o..
The present Constitution provides ~, = !
convention shall Consist Of numhsr q. !, 3
Than bo'h branches of the Leeislaipsss 3 =
which il is called
Now there are 32 Senators and &c A......,
men-maklng iOo members OF the press, y
islature. Therefore. the enabling .c, III =
to provide Tor ihe election of NOT ,e.s ~ 81 ~
number OF delegates from the vay;os' - - -
and Senatorial Districts of the Slate s'sas'z
But our present Constitution does ~. -.
the election M an excess of said numhev a's.s
Legislature may determine 10 ipcresss - - -
Der al delegates 10 be chosen for s.;a -
lion.
Oar esteemed contemporary pr~. !.
black counties are much exercised !. -.
and If is natural and proper that il shm.lat y
some wise provision should be mad - -. -
and whereby those counties should h.v. n. !.
representation that the intelligence - -
erty" therein demand-in the frsn;r-. = 3
rev organic law for our proudly -
Common wealth. BY some i, is surs.ss.s J.
the Legislature should provide. as an - = - q
lice 10 said counties, Tor the election If -.
number Of delegates at large To be seIersss -
the same. And by others that the said ~. -
net should provide for their election bv ss- 49,
vention itself Immediately ON i,s anrrssse
OF these two plans the first is the u,orr -.
cratic. and therefore the more pfeIcyabje i ~,
The said delegates are Ia be elected hv tbs -.
pie. OF The second method that or their e,.c,;n,
by the convention, We take no stock wha,eyeyip
that plan. In fact, it is severely questiruall, +
The Legislature has the required consti,plim.
warrant oi power to remit to the CODvenoa tIr
privilege of electing representatives of the pea
pie.
Granted, that the LEGISLATURE has the Ie,.,
right to delegate 10, and clothe the Conyen,ia.
with such extraordinary elective power-woal
not its exercise by that body be infringing n
the rights of the people, Ave, 10 violate I
once the spirit and the very essence Of its csl
by the people, namely, to vouclisafe to them IN
right of free suffrage,
II would indeed be bad beginning fur such
body, assembled especially TO secure the riph, q
popular suffrage" at the very outset Of lis vol
10 60 into a side-sl,0m election for members In !;
in It's Owr body.
And again. as any excess of the requisite a
delegates would add TO the expense besds
making the Convention more unwieldly BY Il
CT easing its already necessarily too large men
bcrshIp-noi to speak of both the imp0Iicy a
hazard of submitting the election OF delegates !
large, considering the closeness of the vote B
which the cal was carried.
Besides, how else are the delegates Of larre
be nominated satisfactorily. except by d
troublesome and expensive assembling Of
Democratic State Convention!
Having given goad reasons why the twoHs
posed plans should not be adopted, LEI rs 10,
submit, for public consideration, what seems
mo Gil iuafsar and 1eas avpaueiua aalufs.
nf this yexed question.
The recent election shows that the So
counties are seven in number, to wit Aaeku
Duval, Jefferson, Leon, Madison, Marion a
Nassau, and they will send thirty deleutn
the Convention.
Now, let the said Legislative act pssFide,
order 10 secure minority representation IN fAe
seven counties, that their delegates shall
chosen by the cumulative plan of voting.
Il we recOllect Alright, cunaulafioe is the len
used 10 define such method of voting. But
term is immSterial ii is the plan that Is il
poriant, and which we will now proceed to {:
plain and illustrate briefly.
Let the enabling act providing for the eiecii1
at delegates 10 the Convention contain this pfI
vis0-" for the counties of Alachua. Dun
Jefferson and Leon, each entitled TO five del
gates, that no ballot shall have on II the nam
of more than three persons, and no eleci0r slss
vote for more than that number of delegsiex'
And for the counties of Madison, Marion "a
Nassau, entitled To four and three leach rrzps
tively) delegates. let the proviso be that-sI
ballot shall have on il the names of more iha
taoo persons etc.
NV by this plan of voting the a. black enal
ties could nj least obtain minority represeHh
iion--as in The fur large counties, the Den
Gratis could elect too each of the delegates; ~
t'oo in Madison, and one each in Mari0a n
Nassau-mHking IL To the Republicans leAa
gales 10 the Conventiaa.
By Catching on" 10 this plan of confined
I,ar;ia' voting, il will he seen that the miners
could not only obtain proper numerical reprcsel
tation, but could likewise elect one len
objectionable man IN the Republican ticket
those counties
This is possible in all the counties hut Mad
son-wth its four delegaies-when by ID
method each party would elect tro delegate
This plmn commends itself as being confined 1
the black counties" that they do Justice 10 then
selves; and, II IS less troublesome and less expcl
sive than the holding al "a Democratic C2nveniia
to nominate delegates at large to Ike chosen fTul
those counties; and obvates The having recouFs
10 that other most und,mocra,ic and ohjectioi
able eXpeiieni oil their selection by the COnVei
ton. Besides, il has The merit of legality, 40
local practicalliy, and only needs, perhaps.
little fuller explanation (than We have gfven|
make it fully understood by the inteasgsl
people OF those "black counties" wherein Il
10 put il To the test aud operation.
II any better plnn Can be suggested then TEL
he adopted by the incoming Legislature
certainty our method of solving this vexe
question merits some consideration.
=,
StErke Telegraph
The T1Dd of EJegce,-s eug9ertc TINT II W0ul