The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-17

h4sx no representation rnxier
tl1e fe<<xietiSe system. Il kh< NH
Inorj$y nnmhsre1 ~ tkey could
| elect one M he <iayee. Les
tk4u that srouid MT - euou<h
because The nlx9ority cpuId xfse thrre
tsendfsSz>ez 30 vo<es each Let i. 3
kzd G be the eAudlaafes for the staa-
berity sfg wouid v0.e fox ii Ard r..
| Ie0 Ter b and G aud fys for a and &.
this wzsszEd giTx 10 20 each and !
minority ox 10 would b poxxxsess !.
80 would tie. z01 worlsi eSecs one.
This y stezzz soon became unpapuIxr
nudex the Plea that IL deprived eIeet0rs
lcf their RIGHTS. for people whs we're
used 30 casSIng threw vDfss could rot
understand boz Il t,ou{d be . beneas
0niy - cast TWO. TO meet this obiec-
ton, ard - a;s improvement upon the
restrictive. tie cumulative Systefn was
devised, which II tfzisI--where three
Representatives are 20 BE- Chosen. each
faecsDr can vote for thrse candidates.
/ or give three votes 20 one candidate.
ssr two 70 one, and ore 81 another, -
he thinks IT, Under this system =
minority that cxeeesss ons-f third Of the
majority can ssNes one When the
majority nrns~rx go minority Of
i0l viii eiess one. for the best the
majority can possibly do Is 20 give
each candidate 80 votes. while the
minority by al casting three VOTES for
| the S4lzse man elects him With 33
| Although the Ersf Of these svsterls -
an improvement On the present. and
| the second an Improvement on both.
concerned. neither Of them inpsoFes
do not remedy the buying ssx selling of
l proving the standard Of our legislators
| rnore thorough party organization and
.Iiespline. Nominations rsuxf .stsll Be
made, fhe strength OF each party must
accurately be known. plan nlCst be
pretszred and carried cut BY each
sDtev. 80 a. 10 make their patty
strength count for all il IS worth The
cumulative systesm is In operation in
| the state Of Illinois and 4 the SYSTEM
| III our constitution framed ct WalIa
WAisa
As an Improvement upon both these
| systems. ard 20 remedy the evils
which theg they fail - reatth. the pre-
ferenIiEi SYSTEM Was devised. Every
lover 81 this country who understands
the theory OF elections cannot fail to
realize the lnnumerahle benefits that
would how from it, adoption. To APP
| preciate this. read the seventh chapter
on Considerations on Representative
Government, = by Jehn Stuart Mill,
and 70 understand the system thor
oughly see Hare on Representation.
With this system there Is no minority.
AL are represented, and laws made by
. legislature chosen under this system
would be the Laws OK q majority oil the
peopie. With this system there
would be no buying aad selling OF
votes. for there would be no induce
| rnent to buy votes With this system
there wouId he no party machine, for
there would be no field In which To OPP
crate. With this system the ablest
man the state contained would always
| be- found in the legislative hall a. long
a. hc was willing 10 serve. With this
system the welfare OF the whole state
would be the consideration OF every
representative, for Is would make no
difference II the people OF his own
section became prsjudiccd against .
representative, SO long as his course
was stlcn 80 would receive the appro-
baton Of the people AT large. / will
give brief description OF what the
mode Of procedure would be il
| this system should be adopted
! By this state Assuming that our
election was early In November. be-
| fore the LIST Of October every aspirant
| for representative must send his name
10 the secretary of state, informing
him that he desires to be candidate
for representative. On the LIST of De-
tober the secretary OF state has q num-
Der of lists of these names printed and
distributed, one OF which shall be
posted mt each polling place through
out the state, and have them pub
lished in all the newspapers. On the
day OF election each voter shall write
on his ticket the name that he prefers
from that list to represent his inter
ests in the legislature; but in order
fhaf his vote may not be thrown away
he shall write number of names
in the order that he holds them, as his
first. his second or third choice, and so
ON for as many names as he chooses
from the list. Ii his first choice don't
need his vote. il shall be counted for
the second name on the ticket; il that
name don't need 1t, IL viii be counted
for the third name, and so on unit. 1t
il counted for some name. but 1t can
only be counted for one name. A
state canvassing board shall be at the
capital, say the secretary OF state, state
auditor and clerk of the supreme
court, or any other officers that may
be appointed by law. When the polls
are closed. the judges of election In
each precinct shall classify the tickets.
all the tickets that have ii as their
first choice shall be strung together,
and SO on with every name. The pre-
cinst clerk shall keep list Ct the
number OF votes each man receives as
the tickets are classified, and the tick
cts shall Immediately be sent under
seal to the county seat, where the
county board OF canvassers shall
take a list of the number of votes each
man received in each precinct, make
one package OF ali the precinct pack
ages for each name, and Immediately
send. under seal, all the packages OF
tickets To the state board of canvass
ers. As soon as the returns are re-
eeiysd from all the counties, the state
board of cauvassers shall meet. and on
asc,srtainipg the total number OF yotes
cast, shall divide that number by the
number OF representatives, the quo
tient win be the number necessary To
elect. The hoard Of eanyassers will
now adjust all the packages from the
different counties, making ali of AS
votes in one package. all OF BIS in one
package, and 50 on with all the names
on the list. Able and popular men
Will have more votes than they re-
quiie, while some of the candidates
will not have enough. suppose there
are 80 representatives To be chosen
and 80 go votes are east, a successful
candidate must have iN0o votes. Some
OF the packages viii contain far more
than fO0o. Many Of them not so
much. The board now commences
with the largest package and counts
out the required number. These tick
els are laid aside and that name is
written Down in the list oil elected.
The balance 0f his tickets are left Tor
the present The board then takes
the next iarges; package and counts
cit the required number, lays lhem
with tae first 1000 and writes his
name on the list of elected. and so on
with each package that contains the
requisite number. After all the pack
ages that had the quota have been
usesa the surplus Of the first package
that vas counted shall be- taken. Tic