Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-01
Many Suggestions fsr lettering the
World .
TIE SUBJECT OF BEPBEsENrArloN
Topics Considered At The Session
3,
Today: NJ =.
FEMALE SUFFRAGE TONIGHT

sions Of the National Council Of Women,
whose meetings have been held continuous
ly through the last fortnight and have at
tracted large and appreciative audiences.
There was another large audience when
the session was called to order at MetZerott
Hall at 10 o'clock this morning by Mrs.
May Wright Sewall, the president Of the
council, and the papers were all listened to
with the closest attention.
For the last quarter of a century the
National American Woman Suffrage As
ISOLATION has held its annual convention in
this city, but this year the association
went to Atlanta to hold its convention. and
the result is that Washington has heard
comparatively little of the subject of equal
rights. The women in the council have
finally got around to the subject of suf-
frage, as the association will have
charge of the session this evening. The
subject was touched upon this morning at
the session of the National Council, one
phase of the subject being assigned for
the paper of the morning, .and for the en-
suing discussion. The topic vas "Prcpor-
tional representation" which was present.
ed in the form of a memorial from the
American Proportional Representation
League, read by Mrs. Carrie Lane Chap
man Gait of New York.
In the course of the memorial it was
stated that this was subject that de-
served the attention of women especially,
on two grounds-it is right, and, further, a
just system of representation will pave the
way to giving woman her true position be-
fore the law.
The Rule of the Majority.
The memorial was long one. It was, in
part. as follows: -
I'VE hold that governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the gov
erned; that the best form Of government
for giving this principle expression is a
representative one, made up of all the cit
liens who have arrived at the age Of dis
erection: and We further hold that repre-
sentative government should be of such
form and substance that a majority of the
representatives shall always represent a
majority of the people.
That the government of the United
States is devoid of these essentials we
submit the following facts: The Fifty
third Congress, which now sits in Wash
inston, was elected after this fashion,
The democratic party cast 147.2 out of every
100 Congressman, WHILE the republicans.
casting 41.9 of every 100 votes polled, elect
ed only 3G.S out of every 100 Congressman.
The populists cast 81 votes'in the 100, but
elected only 3.4, while the ,prohibitionists,
wfo cast two votes in the 100, elected none
at all.
THAT this astonishing result was not due
to the practice of gerrymandering may be
F1fty-fourth Congress in 1S4 In that
election the republicans, cast 4S.4 out of
every 100 votes po!led. and obtained 6sS
out of every 100 Congressmen elected,
while the democrats, with a vote of 49,
In the 100, elected 29.2 out of every 100
congressman. The popuffsts, with a vote
OF III in the 1OO elected two in the 100 of
Congressman, while the prohibitionists,
with vote of 1.6 in the &c., failed to elect
any at all. t'
Thus it is seen that a minority of the
voters who participated in the election of
the Fifty-third Congress, amounting to
only 41.2 per cent of the total, elected an
enormous majority of the Congressman.
And again, in the last election, another
political party. casting a minority of the
votes Amounting to only 4S.4 per cent of
the total, elected a vast majority of the
Congressman.
illustrations might be gwen in any num-
Der, but these are sufficient to establish the
fact that the present method of elect1ng
the majority.
THE reason for this state of affairs lies,
not in gerrymandering and other dishonest
practices, as many have supposed, but in
the nature of the system. If a state which
is to elect ten representatives is divided
into ten districts, each of which is to elect
one representative by a plurality vote, it
Will at once be seen that the party which
has majority of the votes in the state
will be apt to have majority of the votes
in each district. Hence, though the larger
party may have but a slight excasJ OF
votes over Its opponent, that excess, if
evenly distributed among the districts
will give to it all the representatives. Tha
excess of the democratic over the repue.
can vote for Congressman in 1892 was les
than AZ per cent of the total vote, while
the excess Of the Congressman elected by
the former over the latter party was %
per cent. In 1894 the excess of the repub-
lican over the democratic vote for Con-
gressmen was 10 per cent of the total vote,
while their representation in Congress will
be 391la per cent over that of their op-
ponents.
''As the cause of this Misrepresentation
lies in the election of representatives from
separate DISTRICTS by plurality vote, the
remedy lies in the election of the repre-
sentatives from the state at large by
means of proportionate vote. While sew
eral schemes have been proposed for eff
fecting this result, the Swiss or free list
system is perhaps the best for this coun-
try at the present time.
This system has the very important
merit of dovetailing into our present meth
DDS; and gives us the maximum of results
with the minimum Of change-a very i'm
portant thing for reformers to consider
when seeking to change public customs,
for the foolish and simple minded look to
method Of electing Representatives cannot
be objected to because 1t is complicated or
hard to understand. 1t is simplicity ITSELF
and the only thing about it which is
81 dHSc " Tie SOlef, tnaC OIL appOrtlOnlng
the candidates, is not done by the voter
at all. but by the election boards.
IF the districts are wiped out and the
Congressman elected from the state at
large by means of quotas these men who
are now so powerful will be as helpless as
the medieval barons would have been had
the walls of their castles suddenly been
thrown down. The little group of indie
pendent voters, who are 80 helpless when
shut in by the arbitrary district, will, if al
lowed to unite with others of like ideas in
the remainder of the state, be able to elect
representative, not q representative
thrust upon them by partyswhich knows
that representative will do nothing to fur
Their the idea he is suppesed1to stand for,
but chosen leader Of that body of voters.
The great party which controls 80 per cent
Of the votes will, of course elect so per
cent Of the Congressman, asst should, but
1t can do no more; the otherj5O per cent of
the voters. though they be divided into
several parts, can each elect such repre-
sentatives as it sees fit. g,
ut will be patent to any, woman that
this will secure the introduction into the
national and state legislatures of better
and ADLER class of men; and: as the prin-
ciples for which women stand are right
they can only be advanced as the standing
of the individual legislator is improved.
Let the women of this country bring all
bo {pt n haa