The Labor enquirer., 1886-04-10
The Plan of Representation
Advocated by Simeon
Stets0n.
Abolish District Lines and Boss
ism and Give 'Independ-
ents" a Chance.
II We Ire Half Like the Men Of'7t
Ne Can Make a Ballot
T for Ourselves.

the majority to rule in law-rnakinl
bodies which represent only a part O.
the people J. that the laws cannot repre-,
sent a majority of the whole unless they
all have voice and a vote in the place
where the laws are made. We require
therefore, method of voting which
will enable ali the voters to have voice
and vote there, instead of mere ma,
Iority, or a minority of them, as at
present.
But this new method must also cnre
the evil o. bossism otherwise tn. voters
will be as completely disfranchised as
they are ty the present method. What,
then, is tie method that will free US
from the pule of the bosses and the rings
and at the same time permit all parties
to be represented?
1t will he surprise to most American
voters to learn that for thirty years such
a method has been in successful opera
ton IN our country. If thay seek to
know whv they have, during all this
time, remained in ignorance concerning
it, they will learn how :pecu; iarly adapted
our present electoral system is to keep
certain kiads of useful knowledge in the
dark. his new method of electlnv rep
resentatives is known. as Proportional
Representation.
1t Is applicable when two or more Off
cials of kind are to be chosen, such as
supervisors, school directors, judges rep
resentatives to the legislature and to
congress. "A variety OF plans have been
devised to secure the representation of
the whole people, each division or ;arty
to have Its proportional share-cOrres-
pOnding to its numerical strength. In
stead of giving a minute description of
these various plans it will be sufficient
for present purposes to give a general
outline of the esYstem together with some
of the advantages TO be gained by its use.
Let US suppose, then, that ten repre-
sentatives are to be chosen by 10000
voters 1t is evident that every 1000
voters are entitled to one representative.
Now, were there no district lines in the
way, and no necessity of getting major
ity of the votes in order to elect candi-
date, all that any LOCO voters-in the
case we have supposed-would have to
do to elec@ their man, would be to go
and vote for him. They could vote for
an independent" candidate without any
danger of throwing their votes away"
In any ca.e that may arise the number
of votes cast divided by the number of
officials tc, be elected will give the num-
Der Of votes required to elect on candl-
date this is called the qu,ta. Any
party that polls two, or more quotas will
elect two, or more men, and and so on.
The number that any party can elect
will depend upon the number of quotas
it can muster, and not upon get Ing a
majority or plurality Of the votes cast.
In municipal elections the ward lines
will be abolished, and in voting for rep
resentatiyes to the state legislature and
to congress the other district lines will
be abolished.
The last ru' \, however, NAV be medl-
fed by dividing the state into large dis
tricts for oec;ing representatives to the
state legislature; but there must be no
congressional districts. San Francisco
for instance sends twenty assembIymen
to the legislature, and it might consti-
tute district. Other districts might be
formed sending a less numbers 10"
as eight or ten perhaps. But to illustrate
the theory of proportion, we will sup
pose the state to constitute one district
only. Them suppose there are 100 rep
resentatives to be elected ard there are
2uU'DO votes cast then 1000 votes Will
elect onet Suppose also we have four
parties; one Of $4,000, one Of $1,000, one
Of 10000, and another of 10000 the hrst
will elect forty; the second, thirty; the
third, !wenty and the last, ten repre-
sentatives. 1t matters not how many or
how few parties" there may be, nor
how many splits" there may Ee IN anV
party on the choice of its candidates,
provided it does nor split up into frag-
ments of less than 1000 voters, or there
abouts, since any independent" body OF
voters numbering 1000 cat surely elect
their man.
Another reference to the district lines
is made necessary by the suggestion
already made, that the state may be di'
vided into districts. 1t is this: 80 long
as the districts are large enough to per
NIT of reasonable cooperation among
the voters, the evils of the present small
districts (sending only one, or at most
three or four representatives, will be in
the main if not wholly overcome. If al
sny time it should be desi; ed, the large
districts can be abolished also.
While proportional representation
will enable honest voters to co operate
and elect men of their cholee, the fraudu'
lent ones can only elect enough to rep
resent themselves. and not that even un
less they can muster quota A vote