The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-09
Proportional Representation
[ElavaUth Artificial

Having in previous articles described
the plan used in Belgium to secure a
fair and proportional representation
of all the voters, | now proceed to give
you some idea of how proportional rep
resentation has worked out in that
country. 1t was in the year 1899 that
proportional representation was ap-
piled to parliamentary elections.
Previous to the passage of that law
OF 1899, the free list system of pro-
portional representation had been used
for about five years for certain NUM-
cipal elections Qes elections commu-
nales) in Belgium, although in par
tial and imperfect form. Party poll
tics enter into municipal elections in
that country; and the application of
this reform to these elections was made
by an opportunist ministry in order
to stave off the urgent demands made
for applying proportional representa-
tiOn in full and complete form to
parliamentary elections. Even this
partial concession of right methods
proved to be a marked Improvement
The opinion Of M. Braun. burgomaster
OF Client, may be taken as fair sam
pie of the general public verdict. Speak
ing publicly in May, 1899, he said. :.
During the four years that la rep
resentation proportionelle has been ap-
piled to the communal elections of
Client, every one has been able to ap-
preciate the happy effects of the re-
form. Everybody recognizes that, far.
from being endangered, the material
prosperity of the city has increased,
and that the ameliorating and pacify-
ing. effects of the altered electoral
method has been as unexpected as they
were unhoped for.
Turning now to Count d'Alviellas re-
port of the general elections for the
Belgian parliament at the end of May,
1900. find that million and half
voters cast their ballots under the free
list plan of proportional representation
It was a pronounced and remarkable
success. There are three parties in
Belgium-the clerical conservatives,
the liberals and the socialists The
clerical conservatives prefer to be
called simply the Catholic party. At
the previous election under the old
system, the Catholics we're grossly over
represented, chiefly at the expense of
the liberals; but the new system set
this nearly right, and had the effect of
giving each party fairly proportional
representation in accordance with the
strength, Of each, thus PROV
ing its right to the name it bears. The
figures for the chamber of deputies (the
lower house) are worth giving.
The defunct chamber, elected under
the old system. contained 112 Cath
olics. II liberals. and % socialists. In
1900. on May 81. proportional represen-
tation elected So Catholics, 33 liberals,
80 socialists, and one democratic /
Christian "a dissident from the Cath
olic party. This striking difference is
indeed an object lesson.
One noteworthy result of the new
system has been a great lessening of
partizan virulence, largely because each |
party realized that the system pre-
vented unfair advantage being taken.
beneficial effect is stated by
Count d'Alviella in a letter to me, as
follows:
Zone of the advantages of our pro-
portional representation consists in |
having broken the old lines that di-
vided in politics cur Walloon and our