The Advocate and news., 1898-10-05
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.
LAST PAPER METHODS OF USING AN
EFFECTIVE BALLOT.


ers, or an effective ballot for each voter,
a large plurality or a majority Of them.
For many years this subject has been
discussed, and to some extent and in va
rious localities reduced to practice, the
methods varying in different countries.
The original Swiss system was called the
free list system" in which representa-
tiVes were chosen in districts Of three or
more and appOrtioned to the various
parties in proportion to the number Of
votes cast by each party. Thus il there
were six representatives to be elected
from the district, and three political par
ties casting a nearly equal vote, each
party would be assigned two representa-
tives. If one party polled two-thirds Of
the vote 1t would have four of the six
representatives, instead Of all of them
as it would do under the plurality or
majority system OF elections employed in
this country. The remaining two seats
would be given to the minority parties
casting the largest votes, so that in no
case could the number of ineffective bal
lots be anything like as large as under
our system.
Another method Of proportional rep
resentation is called the cumulative vote,
in which the voter has the option Of
casting his one vote for each of the seats
to be filled, or two votes for half the
number of candidates to be elected, three
for one-third, or four for one-fourth.
The result of this system is to give pro-
portional representation in the same de-
gree as the free list system, but it is less
simple and has been but little used. For
the past ten years the State of Illinois
has elected its lower house by this meth
cd.
There are several other practical
methods Of using an effective ballot, but
we deem it unnecessary to describe them
in detail, as no one familiar with the
literature, and we'll posted on the prac-
tical experience of communities using
representation, would for
one moment dream of inaugurating any
other than "The Hare System" or as 1t
is often called "The Hare-Cridge" sys-
TEN, or, more properly, "The Preferen-
tial Ballot" so thoroughly has it vindi-
Gated it's superiority to all others.
The Hare system of voting was first
in 1916 by John Hare, an emf
nent scholar and public man Of high
character in England. Sir John Lubbock,
the noted scientist, perfected it's details
and improved it, and Alfred Cridge, Of
San Francisco, and Miss Harriet Spence,
of Australia, have not only been it's un-
firing advocates, but have so perfected
it's every detail that it is often spoken
of as "The Cridge-SpenCe System" 1t
was largely owing to Miss Spence's eff
forts that the system was adopted in the
island colonies of Tasmania and South
Australia and in many Australian and
New Zealand municipalities, and Mr.
Cridge has made it so popular in Cali
fornia that its adoption by that State
requires only that the people shall pre-
vail against the Central Pacific Railroad
Company parasites. It is also rapidly
the cruder systems in the
Swiss Cantons and municipalities and
Is successfully used in many English,
Scotch, Belgian and Danish municipal
ities where it is also the favorite method
Of corporation elections.
The Preferential Ballot.
Other methods of proportional repre-
are adapted to represent par
ties only-nOt one dominant plurality,
but several or all parties, and this in pro-
portion to their numbers, which is surely
4 great Improvement on the system
which practically admits of only one
party being represented. The preferen-
.ial ballot also admits of the just repre-
of parties, but it gives to each
voter a freedom and power
of parties which no other
plan of ballot does, hence it is calculated
TO diminish the power and influence of
political machines. The preferential bal
lot also gives a much larger percentage
Of effective ballots than any other sys
.em.
It is called "the preferential ballot
because it gives the voter the power to
express his preference between all the