The morning call., 1894-02-11
FOR MINORlTIES.
Movement to Kill Off
Political Bosses.
Democratic Leaders Will Try to Sc
cure Better Representation at
the Coming Primaries.

A movement is afoot In the Democratic
party of San Francisco to provide against
fraud in the future at primary elections
and at the same time TO prevent boss rule.
Intelligent leaders hold to the theory that
the nearer the party gets to the people the
greater its strength and usefulness.
Fraud by repeating and ballot-box stuff
ing has grown to be so common IN late
years that heroic measures are necessary
TO check and finally exterminate it. The
subcommittee of the General Committee.
now engaged in drafting a new constitu-
ton for district clubs and the central or
ganization which they form, has matured
plan by which repeating and punched
ballots shall be reduced to a minimum and
by which the m inority in district clubs
shall have a representation among the
mem bers of the General Committee and
among delegates to municipal and State
cOnven tons.
The subcommittee proposes electoral
reform based on the plan adoped by the
| Mechanics Institute in the selection OF
trustees. This is called the PROF. ortional
method combined with the preferential
| method.
By the proportional method the voter
numbers the candidates on his ballot IN
the order Of his preference. his vote count
| ing finally but for one candidate. as here
! matter explained.
To understand this principle, reason
| over this thought: II have right to be
| represented in the board of trustees by a
| representative of my choice, but L have no
right 10 deprive a fellow-mem Der OF the
same privilege. AS there are only seven
trustees to pc elected, must agree with al
least one seveDth of my fellow-members
on a suitable candidate as our repTeSen Ia
| tive in the board"
Ii ticket of seven men is to be elected.
one-seventh OF the voters can elect one
man, twO-sevenths can elect TWO men, ETC.
1t is clear. therefore, that if the voters
were divided into seven equal groups each
| group would elect its own candidate.
Any candidate who is marked first choice
! upon the ticket and receives votes equal
| TO the QuOtient obtained by dividing the
total nun Der of votes cast by the number
OF candidates Is elected. For example
| Suppose 900 ballots are cast and there are
seven candidates to be elected. All who
| receive 129 votes as first choice are elected
In this case 129 votes for Smith as flrsi
| choice take precedence over twice the
number of votes for Jones as second
choice. Ii must be constantly borne 10
mind that every voter recorded his FIRST
| chrice.
In a recent circular the Mechanics lnsti-
tute makes the following explanation:
AS the member has no previous knowledge Of
the number of his fellow members who are
voting for the same candidate as be Is, one Of
two conditions may ensue-either the candidate
may receive much gr alter number OF votes
than one seventh required 10 elect or he may
receive less than that proportion and not Dt
elected
Suppose, in the first case, the candidate ha:
! received as much as two-seytntbs OF the tota
| vote. liz the members so voting had had
| prior knowledge OF their numbers they woult
nave SO arranged their votes That trey would
have elected two representatives-their proper
| proportion or. In tn other case, In which the
| candidate received less than the requisite mum
Der of one seventh, had the members so votini
known the impossibiiity of electing their Can
| dldate they would have voted for another, thei
next preference.
| To remedy this and insure that practically M
votes shall be wasted, the preferential process
| is added 10 the proportional principle.
Following is a simple illustration O.
| what is meant by the preferential process
Suppose member Of the institute is entitled