Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-11
Proportional Representation.

Proportional Representation.
Briefly, it is that kind of political rep
resentation that enables all political par
ties to be represented in legislative bod
les in exact proportion to their numer-
ical strength. If there are $4,000 voters
in a given district, 10000 Democrats,
10000 Republicans and 1000 Popuists,
proportional representation would give
them all following In the legislature in
proportion to their numbers, instead of
allowing the majority party to repre-
sent or misrepresent the other two.
Proportional representation is the rule
of all the people instead of the rule of
the majority. Garfield was in favor of
proportional representation as opposed
to mere majority rule. He said in a
speech in congress: Sometimes my ma
jority has exceeded $4,000. There are
about 900 Democrats in my district,
and they have been voting there for the
last 40 years without any more hope of
having a representative on this floor than
of having one in the commons of Great
Britain"
Mr.. w. d. McCrackan calls attention
to this matter in The Arena. He says
John Stuart Mill put the whole difficulty
into a nutshell when he wrote: THE
pure idea of democracy, according to its
definition, is the government of the whole
people by the whole people, equally rep
resented. Democracy, as commonly con-
ceived and hitherto practiced, is the gov
eminent of the whole people by mere
majority Of the people exclusively rep
resented" AS it is in our country at
present, a majority of even one consti-
tutes the greater party the absolute ar
bitter of the legislative destinies of only
fraction less than half of all the popula-
ton. That such system does not rep
resent the people is frequently shown in
the Swiss referendum. Where a ques-
ton has been referred to the people
there, they have often reversed the deci-
sion of their representatives in the par
lament. Garfield said further, I'm my
Judgment, it is the weak point in the
theory of representative government, as
now organized and administered, that a
large portion of the voting people are
permanently disfranchised."
Mr.. McCrackan justly calls attention
to how the dead level of our legislative
assemblies would be shaken, the rule Of
ring politicians broken, reforms intro
duced and things generally made lively
and profitable by having all the political
parties represented according to their
numerical strength. Our present geo
graphical political boundaries, as illus
r trated in the district system, would of
y course vanish under proportional repre-
y sentation, and there would be no chance
: at all for gerrymandering.
= Proportional representation presents
q difficulties in its practical workings,
v which have been met in the five follow.
a ing proposed ways, as set forth by Mr..
o McCrackan;
h iho siHiplest anu lueally most perfect Is thai
known rs the electoral quotient. Every electo,
l. at the polls receives a list Of candidates. and
K marks as many names there are persons ~
be elected, In the order of his preference-th
} hrst, second, third, etc. Suppose the numbe,
e, OF persons to be elected Is 10 and the vote,
= polled to be 100O; In that case e0ODdivided b,
10, or 200, Is the electoral quotient, and ii
" counting the ballots the FIRST 10 candidates VIII,
"A obtain 200 votes are declared elected.
The cumulative vote differs from the fore
5e going In that the elector may distribute hi
NJ votes as he chooses, or cumulate them ali upor
" one candidate. ~FN'
I. The limited vote gives the elector a less mum
Der OF votes than there are candidates to elect
and the minority lie allowed to be represented
* by the remaining candidates
r. In the free List the esctor does not vote 10
any candidate by name, but for a llst-e. e..
y a certain list receives, say. FIVE. three or tw
te electoral quotients. then the first Ave. three
two candidates named thereon are declare,
e elected.
is Personal representation Is in substance q
allow votes TO be received In every locality 70
70 other than local candidates. Suppose leeis
IL lature TO contain one member for every 900
IN actual voters then every candidate who re
'e ccives 1900 votes would be returned In what
re ever part Of the country his voters might har
m pen 10 be. There are Of course details in eac
OF the foregoing systems and provisions 70
special cases.