The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-01-28
The Proposed Double Basis Of Repre-.
sentatiOn.

EDITOR lNTELLIGENCER: In your
issue of the 2lst inst, :! an editorial on
the proposition to allow representation
in the State Legislature both in proper
ton to population and in proportion to
taxable property, you say: "We have
never heard of any government in which
such system has been tried"
Now, without pretending to argue
either in favor of or against the proposed
change in this State, beg leave to cor
rect an error into which some might be
led by the above statement. Such sys'
tenn has been tried, and is now in practical
operation in several countries 1t is in
operation in Deumark and in quite a
number of the German States, notably,
Prussia, Wurttemburg, Saxony, Hesse,
Brunswick, and Hamburg. In some
there is the dual basis of representation
mentioned in others quite number of
interests are represented, seeming to
come into accord, to some extent, with
the famous idea of john G. Calhoun. OF
concurrent majority"
In Denmark the Legislative body is
the diet or rigsday. THE rissday con-
sists of lands,hing, or senate, and
folkesthing, or house Of commons. OF
the 66 Senators, 12 are nominated for
life by the Crown, aud the rest chosen
for term of eight years, by electoral
bodies composed partly. of the largest
tax. payers in the country districts, partly
of deputies of the largest tax payers OF
the cities; and partly Of deputies repre-
sentiDg the entire voting population.
The folkesthing consists of 102 members
elected directly by universal suffrage, for
term Of three years.
In Prussia the Legislative body consists
of two Chambers Hrrrenhaus, or
house of lords, and an Abgeordneten.
haus, or chamber of deputies. Seven
different interests are represented in the
house of lords, some Of the members are
hereditary, some are appointed by the
King, aud others are elected the fifth
interest consists If "titled noblemen,
elected by resident landowners" In the
chamber of deputies, members are
chosen by rather complicated indirect
method involving 8 representation Of
both population and taxation.
In Wurttemberg the parliament con.
sists of two chambers: "the house Of
deputies is composed Of the chosen rep.
resentatives Of the landowners, of the
clergy, and of the town and rural dis.
tricts."
The parliament of Brunswick has only
one chamber. Of its 46 members, "2l
are chosen by the highest taxed land
owners, 8 by the clergy, 10 by the towns
aud IL by the rural districts"
In the lower house of the parliament
of Hamburg, "of the 1872 burgesses, "a
are chosen by the votes of all tax.payiug
citizens; 4S are ch. sen by the chief real
estate owners, aud the remaining &C
members deputed by the various guilds
corporations, and courts of justice"
have quoted from Chase's work OF
Civil Government. Very much the
same information can be obtained from
the Cyclopedias. Excuse me for taking
up so much of your space; I thought
some of your readers might be interested
in these facts, and in knowing that the
idea of double basis of representation
is not entirely new and untried, however
much they might differ as to the advisa
bility of inaugursting the system in thil
State. B.