Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-08-15

1lere the twelve -VOterS-leSs than
a fourth of the Whole-control the legs-
lature, while the Sc voters numbering
over a third, have no representation al
all, and ''b' voters, over two-tifths. get
one less representative than The ''a'
voters! That is, in our present politica
arithmetic, Il is a majority Of 40, df We
have majority rule J, I, is y, and 20 II
less than 12
Mr.. Cridge illustrates and substantiatea
these statements fully, and proceeds to
show what all thinking men know, that
a far less number than the voters of the
successful party control the nomination
and so the election as follows:
at would he violent assumption to
suppose that on an average, a candidate
is the choice of more than tIree-tifths OF
his party, and if We suppose his party to
compromise three-tifths of the constiu-
eucy, throt,tift Of three lifths
are nine twenty y-li.ths, or but little over
one third. And Il majority of this one
third make the laws.
"The case, however, is still too favor
ably stated orthe1resent system. Nom
nations precedc election. Those for
Congressman are usually made at con
Vention called at some one place in
whole State to which delegates are sent
Any person to participate i'll an election of
these delegates must be IA partisan. He
must have the party candidates previ
ously, as "A rule, and must agree to sup
port all candidates nominated. however
unfit they may be to represent his views
or however much he may distrllst them
honesty or ability. This rules out all in
dependent and politically honest men at
the start. \ delegate is sent usually rep
resentlng the views not of majority Of
the voters for his party ticket but of the
active politicians III the party for what
thay expect to make. The nominee is
therefore likely to be only the choice OF
a minority OF his party, instead of the
three-llIths majority supposed.
Again, if the State is large. but a small
percentage Of the members of party can
afford to spend $50 to 5000, to 90 TO a
convention, which practically restricts
the membership to Il very few more or
less wealthy men or persons who expect
to yet their money back in some shape,
through political action. Take out the
0tiice-seekers, otlICe-huiiers, contractors,
lobbyists and their friends, and a bakers
dozen, could perhaps represent the aver
age county convention. But suppose by
some rare combination OF accidents, one
quarter, or even half, the members of
convention actually representing ma
jority Of the rank and file Of the party.
Fen per cent. of the other classes would
run it in spite Of all the others could do.
Everyone posted in the workings Of con
venti0ns knows this. Admit this. and
the Il per cent. of the voters which the
laws are supposed to represent, goes down
to two per cent! And | fully believe
such t. bc the fact.
The following are Mr.. Cridge's rene
dies:
Il. Abolish all the district and ward
lines.
- Permit each voter to vote for one
legislator. one councilman, one school
director, one congressman. et,'., and 10
more; or divide the whole vote cast for a
candidate to any legislative, Judicial or
deliberate body of three or more mem
beers by the number to be elected, the
quotient to he AN elective ''quota" and
each such quota received by any ticket
of one or more names to elect one candi-