Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-04-02
LIVE QUESTIONS.
A Series OF Articles Constituted to ThSSe
Columns by Advanced Thinkers.

The REMEDY.
A study Of the congressional election
return Of 1894 proves conclusively that
our representative system is a deluSion
and o snare.
For instance, Massachusetts,, with q
Republican vote Of l01, 9A9, secures 10
representatives, while the DemoCEAtS,
with 100, 1913 ballots polled, are repre-
sented by only one congressman, or
over ~ Democratic citizens must 60 to
the polls 20 equal the representative
power Of one Republican.
Today Illinois is entitled to one Re-
publican congressman for every 80, 4O3
voters, but it takes 161, 718 Democrats
to gain one representative, or, like Mas
sachusetts the proportion against the
Democrats is over to /.
In Ohio it requires over six times as
many voters 20 elect one Democrat as it
does Republican representative.
In New York state the recent vote
stands 99,s97 for every Republican rep
resentative, while requiring 100, $40
Democrats to accomplish the same re-
suits, though in the congressional cleo
ton returns Of 1899 it took 81, $50
DEMOCRATS to equal 4S, SOC Republicans.
Dear old conservative Pennsylvania
secures rs Republican congressman for
G13,9 ballots polled, while the Dem
ocrats have only two for 352, $50 votes.
Have the Democrats Of the Keystone
State sunk SO low that it requires over
eight Of them 70 offset one Republican?
If this state had had proportional repre-
sentation, misrepresentation would have
stood IS Republicans, II Democrats aud
! Prohibitionist.
In the states of Iowa, Michigan and
Wisconsin the Democrats, with over six
times the Republican quota, have no
Democratic representation at all.
Indiana leads off as tho worst repre-
sented state in the Union. The Dem
Ocrats cast almost l times the quota Of
the Republicans, and yet have not even
ono representative.
The Peoples Party adherents polled
votes in excess Of the average quota and
yet in most If the states with no repre-
Eentation at all.
Georgia Populists cast nearly seven
times the quota Of the Democrats and
yet are not represented, while in Texas
they have almost ten times the Demo
cratic quota, with the same results. In
1899 the Populists cast ,04G, 392 votes,
securing IL representatives, yet in the
last election, at the polling 308, $50 more
votes than in 1892, they have only seven
congressman.
Today the Srohibitionists are not rep
resented at all in congress, yet they cast
"a vote which would entitle them under
proportional representation to three con-
gressmen.
These figures prove that our whole
system Of representation is mGnifestly
unjust. The wonder is that we have sub
mitted to it go long.
The evil lies in our district system.
Suppose there werO 80, 600 votes cast in
each Of the 80 congressional districts of
Pennsylvania, each district being en-
titled to one representative, with five
parties in each district, the vote stand
ing thus: 1900 Prohibitionists, 5000
Peoples Party, 5000 Single Takers,
1000 Republicans, 5000 Democrats.
Yet the mere fact that the Democrats
cast / 200 more votes than any one party
IA plurality of 1000 votes, not u ma
.iority-entitles them, under the present
system, to the one representative. And
the remaining 1000 people are not rep
resented at oil Carry this illustration
through the 80 congressional districts,
and we find 10000 Prohibitionists,
10000 Peoples Party, 1870, 900 Single
Takers, 10000 Republicans and 24O,-
900 Democrats. LO and behold, the
Democrats march of with the whole 80
congressman. leaving $50, 600 men who
actually went to the polls and voted un-
represented!
Is it right? Is it justice that the mi
nority of the total vote should make the
laws for the majority?
Must the political fight always narrow
itself to two great parties? Is there no
hope for tho many reform movements?
Must corruption and bribery run ram
part that one party may succeed by a
few votes? Is there no remedy, or must
We continue 10 practically disfranchise
a large proportion Of the men who &C
tnally SO to the polls and vote!
There is a remedy, and that remedy is
proportional representation, which is
that each political party within city,
county or state is entitled to represent
tatiOn in proportion to the number of
votes each party casts. To secure it we
must first abolish all district lines.
For instance, to return to our previous
illustration Of Pennsylvania, abolish all
the so districts, making the state into
one large district Suppose the voting
power is SOC, 900, balloting for 80 con-
gressmen. Justice would demand that
every one-thirtieth of the 900, 600 voters,
or every 10000 men, should receive one
representative. Thirty Thousand votes is
then the quota. With this result, the
100, 600 Prohibitionists are entitled to