The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-02-09
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
Its Advantages and Disadvantages
Commented upon by the So
Cial Science Club.

mdUUeT Ol representation III leSiSio-
tive bodies in this country and va
rious plans have been devOlved where
by the just and equal representation
of the people may be had in fact as
in name. Being one of the impor-
tant problems of the day,it very prob
ably came within the scope Of Ques-
tions marked out by the Social
Science Club for discussion, and &C
cordingly Tuesday was devoted to
it's consideration. The paper was
read by Prof. G. F. Koehler, and
treated the subject in all it's bearings.
The present condition of affairs was
reviewed and the reasons for change
in the selecting of legislative repre-
senatives set forth. Theoretically
ours is representative government,
practically nearly one-half of the
people are disfranchised at each cleo
tion, or rather their right of franchise
avails them nothing in making an
impress upon the policy of the govern
ment. Proportional representation
would remedy this. 1t would do away
with the present method of electing
representatives to congress by dis
tricts, and elect them on general
ticket, apportioning them among the
various parties according to the vote
cast by the respective parties. The
method of proportional representation
is to divide the total vote OF the
state by the number of representa-
tlves to get the quota of votes for
each member. The vote of each
party is then devided by the quota
and the number of representatives
each is entitled to found. The odd
representative goes to the party haV-
ing the largest fraction OF the
quota, or should the vote of third
party be larger, that will receive the
representative. The state Of Indiana
was cited to show the difference be-
tween the the present method, and
what it would be under proportional
representation. The congressional
vote of the two old parties was about
equal in 1892. There being but few
thousand difference. Yet under the
present method, with gerrymandered
districts the Democrats elected.
eleven of the thirteen members and
the Republicans elected two. Had
proportional representation been in
force, the Republicans would have
elected six members, the Democrats
six, and the Populists one, and a
more uniform expression of the peo-
pie being secured. He quoted from
an address by the Proportional Re-
presentation League, regarding the
progress of the scheme and it's work
ings. Also statements showing that
it has been adopted and worked sue
cessfully in Switzerland and Aus
tralia.
Mr.. W. N. Plymat opened the dis
cussiOn. He said he had not given the
subject as much thought as he would
liked to have done, but he saw much
in proportional representation to en-
dorse. He did not believe it would
cure all the evils the body polite is
heir to, but thought it would give a
more fair expression of the views of
the people and have a tendency to
secure able men to represent them.
The discussion then became general
and was participated in by Messrs.
Willard, Higgs, Pope, Smith and Rev.
Father Prior and others. Much in
favor o. it was commended, also much
disapprove1. 1t was urged again st
proportional representation. that it
would not be apt to give any one party
a majority in legislative bodies es-
pecially in congress, which would re-
suit in each one Sinking the respon-
sibility of performance Of duty,
or the enacting of bad legislation, up
on others. 1t was also thought by
some that it might result in more
frequent changes Of party in power,
and the consequent frequent changes
in the policy of the government
which would be had for the country,
as it would tend to keep business in
an unsettled state. Other opinions
were that the present system was all
right if the better class of people
would take an active part in politics
and that the aim of proportional re-
presentation was to get them to do so.
On the VIII Ole the discussion was
most enjoyable and instructive one.
The subject for the next meeting
is the "Merit System in the Govern
ment Appointments" The Taper
will be read by A. M. Rutan.
If all the money that has been
sent from Mankato to Minneapolis
wild cat schemes had been paid into
the Mankato Mutual Building and
Loan Association instead of being
lost it would have been all returned
wish interest and would have helped