National Republican., 1888-04-13

Almost everybody Is familiar with the
method adopted by convened bodies, by
resorting to successive ballotings, voting
viva voce, in their efforts TO find the will OF
concurring majority Of their number.
That an analysis of this method should
prove II to be illogical aud uncertain in It's
workings and untruthful in its results has
very probably not heretofore been sus-
pccted.
II is one of those things with which we
have become familiar, and from "a long
habit Of not thinkingit to be wrong, It has the
superficial appearance Of being right" Or
because a true method Of solving this prob
lem has not been offered in comparison
we have not been able to see the faults of
the present method.
The evils resulting from this illogical
method Of procedure are of grave signl-
cance when they occur in the determining
of party candidates at party nominating
conventions, and in the election of United
States senators by convened body of state
legislators.
When body Of men are delegated or ell
trusted to determine upon the party candi-
dates they are actually empowered to
place before the party voters the men who
stand one chance in two of holding the
highest Offices in the gift of the people
while the nomination for dominant party
may be equivalent to an election. How i'm
portant, therefore, should SO great power
be guarded by at least logical and truthful
method Of procedure.
Let us examine into the successive ballot
inCs of q convention and its viva voCe vot-
ing. The first ballot of q convention repre-
sents the first choice Of the voters or dele
gates, and II majority have concurred the
election has at once been fairly decided.
If, however, there are several candidates
10 be selected from and no one has received
the support OF majority, some voters must
yield and adopt second choice, otherwise
the successive ballotings of the convention
would be but n repetition of the first. But
who is to yield? And when must they
yieldY
BY this method of successive ballotings,
when a voter decides to give up his first
choice and adopt u second, he must vote
against his first choice with as much force as
against the most Objectionable candidate In
the field. So that when to decide upon such
step, not knowing but II you hold on Others
will come to the support of your first choice,
is a most difficult question to determine.
This difficulty very often makes the success
sive ballotiDgs of convention mere rcpe-
tition Of each other.
At length this repetition becomes q,les-
tion of endurance, or else the field is opened
for series of bargainings and barterings
between the delegates and candidates. The
adoption of a rule which determines that
the candidate receiving the least support at
each successive balloting shall be dropped
is arbitrary and manfestly unfair for it can
not be known but what one of these candi-
dates may represent that medium of opn-
ion and be the one upon whom majority
would first concur were he to remain in the
field to be selected from.
When the ballotings are taking place, the
names being called in alphabetical order,
the voters at the Y, Y, Y end of the list
have the advantage Of knowing how the A,
b, c members have voted, and may be in
fuenced accordingly; and while 1t is true the
balloting may remain open, allowing any
voter to change his vote before the result
has been announced, such changes often
create confusion and uncertainty.
At best the method is nothing more than
succession Of trial ballotngs depending
upon reaching majority concurrence by
the changes the voters may make from one
candidate to another. There is nothing
logical in its procedure, and its final decision
may be most unexpected and often quite as
unsatisfactory.
1t Is impossible that nominations of party
candidates determined upon by such an
Illogical method of procedure, having so
much uncertainty in its workings, and ex-
posed throughout to the bargainings and
barterings Of delegates and political man
ayers, should be accepted by the party
voters as representing the choice of a ma
jOrity OF their number.
For these reasons, let lis adopt very
simple and truthful method of reaching the
concurrence of majority at one ballOting.
Let every delegate or every voter entitled
to take part in the election name at once
upon his ticket or ballot, not only his
first choice among the candidates, but such
succeeding choices as he may see fit or
wnnll bp willipU tp Weld IN in prIpr N
reach concurrence with his fellows; and
mark by numerals the order of his pref
erence among these candidates.
From these ballots, when collected, count
at first the support each candidate has re-
ceived as the first choice of voters The sum Of
these will determine the whole number Of yot-
ers, and will show whether any candidate has
at once received the support of majority.
This count will exactly correspond with the
first ballot of a convention as At present
conducted.
If, however, there has not been concur
renee OF majority of the voters or dele
\ gates, find again from the ballots the num-
Der OF voters making a candidate their pro-
visional or second choice, and SO for each can
didate named; and add this number to the
number who before made this candidate their
first choice. These sums will show the num-
ber of voters now willing to concur upon
each candidate, and will determine new
received the concurring support of a major
ity OF the irhole number Of poters, the elec-
tion has now been decided
II majority has not yet concurred, then
In the same manner add the number of
voters making candidate their third
choice to those already concurring upon
this candidate, and so for each candidate
lind again new relative support; and thus
proceed until majority of the voters or
delegates have concurred upon some candi-
date, or until the provisional choices have
been exhausted when the candidate receiv-
ing the largest concurring support must be
accer.ed as elected or nominated.
Thus at one voting by ballot, by this SIM
pie method, the voters or delegates may
provide for the solution Of the problem Of
finding the will of a concurring majority Of
their number.
The significance of casting such n ballot
is that every voter must determine before
hand just wnat he is willing to do toward
providing for further concurrence with
his fellows. No voter is afforded any un-
due advantage, and every voter Is placed
upon an equal footing throughout
y voter in naming second choice upon
his ballot does not drop his first choice, but
remains to the support of his first choice
throughout, and only makes his second
choice equal his first II the second count he
needed In order to reach Il majority concur
renee, Both choices are placed in full OPP
position to all other candidates in the field.
Thus voter will be constrained to make a
second choice when he has reason to believe
that his first choice may not be the choice of
majority of the voters, and when he has a
choice among the other candidates. lie
will carry his preferences still further when
he believes an Objectionable candidate has a
strong plurality following and he desires to
give his support 10 several candidates in
succession In opposition to this objection
able one.
The significance of this method of voting
Is simply logical building up of con,