The Advocate and news., 1898-08-24

representatives
chosen by themselves, 1t necessarily fol-
lows that the best system of representa-
tiOn is that one which renders effective
the largest possible percentage of votes
cast for representatives, bearing In
mind that representative" means not
merely members Of the Legislature, bur
all officials, or members Of the govern
ment, which represents the governing
poWcr OF the people, as board of di-
rectors represents the stockholders of
a corporation.
Few things in this world are born
perfect, but from crude beginnings must
grow from bad to good, from good to
best, through experience and correction
OF mistakes, and our theory and prac-
tice Of representative government is TO
exception to this rule
Theoretically we have government by
majorities, but practically we have gov
ernment by pluralities, which, as a rule,
are a minority of the whole electorate,
hence we have government by mi
nOrity pluralities, or by less than half
the people. A mOnarchical despOtism is
government by minority of one, and
% DLAlSIly dAAoLOCldLAC vi CldS6 kONGEu-
menL is by minority Of five, ten, twen-
ty or thirty per cent. of the people, but
neither differs in essential principle
from so-called republican government
in which minority plurality can elect
every member of the government and
exercise complete political control Of
the whole country.
So deeply ingrained is our baseless
superstition that majority governs
that few, even among intelligent peo-
pie, realize how rarely we elect any
member Of our government by ma
jority vote, nor by how small a minor
ity plurality they are chosen. A. few
years ago Tammany Hall chose 80 per
cent. of the Aldermen Of New York city,
while polling less than 40 per cent. of
the total vote. About the same time
the Republicans of Chicago obtained
complete control Of that city by polling
80 per cent. of the ballots. California
Republicans in 1894 elected seven Of the
ten Congressman with less than 80 per
cent. of the vote cast, and Oregon Re-
publiCans once elected all the Congress-
men with but 26 per cent of ballots
cast. In one instance an entire Con-
gressional delegation, Legislature and
State officers, were chosen by less than
one-fourth Of the total vote Such in
stances can be given by the thousand,
but 1T sutiices that the average per cent.
of ballots cast for the successful can
dldates in all Congressional and State
elections for the past century has been
very slightly in excess Of "a per cent
From the above unquestioned facts
1t will be seen how far we are from hav-
ing "a government Of, by and for the
people," or even by majority Of the
people, and that with few and rare ex-
ceptiOns the majority is ruled by the
minority, hence the great necessity for
a change to better system of repre-
sentation.
The constitutional monarchies of Eu-
rope are more democratic than this
great republic, for they elect represen-
tatives only by majority vote, a sec
Ond ballot between the two highest can
didates being taken when the first ballot
shows no majority.
Were the purpose only to obtain gov
ernment by the majority Of the people
a change from the present system would
be imperative, but why should we stop
at this halfway house on the road to
justice, when justice requires that not
a majority, but all the people, be equally
represented in their government?
While cheerfully conceding that in
any contest between a majority and a
minority the latter must give way, 1t
does not follow that the rights of a mi
nority to its just share of representa-
tiOn is any less sacred than the right OF