The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-06-01
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY.
Proportional Representation.
BY CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS.

symptom of the deeper seated ward
line disease; for municipal ward
lines inevitably lead to ward poll
tics; ward politics to ward poll
ticians. If the diagnosis is correct
the first step toward improvement
is the breaking up, the utter abol-
ishing of ward lines, and a return
to that original system under which
bu siness corporations still elect
their directors-that is, the system
of election by general ticket, and
the choice of a legislative board by
the whole body of stockholders. No
man should represent given sec
ton of brick and mortar, including
such and such streets and alleys.
Each citizen should have the right
to name those who are to represent
him from the whole body of citizens.
1t will naturally be objected that
under a system of this sort the
dominant party would elect the
entire city government, that the
individual would be extinguished,
and the power of influencing results
would be taken from the smaller
divisions, where it now is, and
transferred to the whole. If such
results really followed return to
the simple corporation plan, the
idea of returning to it could not for
a moment be entertained. FOrtu-
nately, it is not so, it is in no de-
gree so. Methods have.been devised
and are now in operation in Belgium
and Switzerland which obviate all
these difficulties, and, if utilized in
municipal affairs, would enable the
body of those composing each COM
munity to bring the best men in it
into the management of those
affairs.
These devices are the various
forms of proportional representation
having as their cardinal principles
the two requirements that the vot
ing shall be done from the city at
large and the representatives shall
be distributed among the various
political bodies or groups in pro-
portion to the votes polled by them
respectively. There need be little
contention regarding the particular
method employed so long as it
embOdies these two requirements.
We may adopt the Limited Vote,
which allows the citizen to vote for
a certain part of the whole number,
fifteen out of twenty one, and allow
the voter to emulate his fifteen
votes as he pleases. Or we may
have the Free List system, which
is now in operation in Switzerland
and Belgium. This method allows
of the voting for party nominations,
as is now done in this country, and
then apportions the successful can
didates among the several parties
in proportion to the votes cast by
them, and takes the required mum.
Der from those standing highest on
their respective party polls. Again,
we might have what is known as
the Cove System, which is a com
bination of the original Hare Sys-
TEN and the Free List. AS any one
of these would work the desired
reform the choice could be left tt
each locality that it might adopt
that which most nearly accords
with it's present system.
BY the adoption of proportional
representation the greatest possible
scope would be secured to iatelli-
gent individual action at the polls;
but, and this is all important and
deserves careful thought, the whole
basis of constituency would be
changed. 1t would rest, not as now,
on the accident of residence in a
given lOcality-the same ward
but on the community of political
opinion and identical ends in view.
No longer artifcially segregated
and restricted, the constituency
would be left absolutely free 20
crystalize in such way as it saw
fit. Those who thought alike and
desired the same results would be
left to seek each other out, and act
together. The ward line now keeps
them apart.
Consider what an enormous in
fluence this would give to the intel
ligent individual voter! How it
WOULD haitian. tho nnniainal