The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-26
RELATIVE VALUE OF VOTES.

| RELATIVE VALUE OF VOTES
Are the Republicans paving the
way for a revival of the Crumpacker
bill at the next session of Congress
1t would seem so from the persistency
with which some of their organs are
harping on the relative value of the
individual vote North and South. The
Republican party feels aggrieved, or
| pretends to, because in some of the
| Southern States the ignorant and
venal black vote has been practically
| wiped out, and hence is seeking some
means of furnishing the South for the
| elimination of a considerable number
of Republican ballots. Since the ig-
norant and venal black vote would be
cast in the South, the Republicans of
| the North care nothing about what
| the effect might be on Southern state
and municipal governments. They
care for nothing except party success,
at whatever cost-to somebody else.
The New York Tribune publishes,
from it's Washington correspondent, a
statistical statement going to show,
from the returns of the Congress
election of 1902, that one Democratic
vote in the South counts for just
about as much as five Republican
votes in the North. in the way of
electing representatives in Congress.
1t points out, indeed, that the rela-
tive value of the votes cast for John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi and
Serene E. Payne of New York was as
to "a. In that year the South poll
ed 1.166,996 votes and elected ninety
eight members of the House, whereas
the state of New York polled 1.346, 526
votes and elected thirty-nine members
of the House. On such figures as
these the argument in favor of re-
ducing the Southern representation in
Congress is based.
In the first place it is pertinent to
inquire how the basis of representa-
ton is fixed by law. Is it by number
of votes cast? Happily not, or Penn
sylvania would soon be sending to
Washington a majority of the repre-
sentatives in the House. The appor-
tionment is based on population. The |
representative who goes to Congress |
stands for so much population, not so |
many voters. The unit of calculation |
is the person, not the man with the |
ballot in his hand; or, it might be |
said, the ballot, whether there CHANGED |
to be a man behind it or not. In |
Pennsylvania, we are Informed by the |
Philadelphia Record, the Republican |
machine registers and votes the names |
of dogs, cats and even chickens, not |
to mention the inscriptions on grave
stones. Is it difficult to see where a
representation based on votes count
ed would lead to where the Republic
cans are in power?
But the basis of representation is
population, as it should be; and the
South has the population to back up
every representative it has in Con-
gress. The vote in the South is rela-
lively small in proportion to popula-
ton as compared with that of the
North, it is true But everybody knows
strong party in the South, and there
fore nothing to draw the people out |
to the polls. John Sharp Williams, for.
instance, had no opposition. There
was only one man to be voted for
in the election in his district. The
election was merely a matter of form.
Even Mr.. Williams brother forgot to
vote for him. The South is enjoying
good government under Democratic
domination, and when there are no
contests at the polls it is impossible to
get the people to turn out and vote in
large numbers. The suggestion that
the present equitable basis of repre-
sentation be overthrown and a new
basis of votes cast be substituted is
revolutionary, unreasonable ANDRE
publican.