The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-09-17
WHERE REPRESENTATION
FAILS

nois was disappointing in one way.
All, or nearly all, the Jackpot"
beneficiaries were returned. To the
irrepressible optimist. however, tcI
whom exposure of weakness Is al
ways a sign of approaching reform,
the returns will give satisfaction.
During the last legislature a coali-
ton between a certain element of
Republicans and Democrats organ
lied the legislature, and, the Repub-
leans violating their primary pledge,
and Democrats leaving their party,
voted for Lorimer for United States
senator. Three Democratic legisla-
tors confessed to receiving a bride TO
vote for him and implicated others,
including Lee O'Neal Browne. DEM
ocratic leader, and exposed a division
of the corruption fund pro rata.
Browne was acquitted by jury,
the foreman of which expressed his
belief in Brownies guilt. but his un-
willingness to convict him on the tes-
timony adduced. Browne and nearly
all the suspects were renominated.
Now. it is unjust to say that the
people of Illinois condone corruption
and fraud. II is safe to say that a
great majority in either party, ~
that majority had an opportunity to
express itself. would vote against all
these men. The great overshadowing
fact in the situation is that the ma
jority of the people of Illinois do not
have a chance to express their opin-
ions regarding Browne ct al at the
polls. Therein lies the weakness CT
our representative system.
Browne represents, not the state
of Illinois, but a little mining dis
trict He is a man of attractive per-
sonality. and he gets those miners
what they want. In the spirit of fair
play they do not object to his getting
what he wants. II he Is liberal with
them individually and looks after
their interests collectively. what do
they care If he handles the u oney for
the election of a United States sena-
tor, or takes money fo- stiaing Lex
islation affecting the city of Chicago,
its vast corporate investments or
the railroads of Illinois? 1t would be
hard for anyone of those miners TO
trace the attenuated thread of CON
nection between his personal welfare
and the moral obliquity of the Iii
nois legislature.
SO the Lee O'Neil Brownies of ILL.,
nois and Kentucky are returned year
after year by the districts they rep
resent, and though the hundreds of
thousands OF citizens affected by their
conduct in the legislature may hold
Indignation meetings. and grand
juries in other districts may return
indictments against them, they re-
quest and are granted "vindication"
at the polls.
The system is wrong. No effort
could work a reformation in legis-
lative body so composed. The the
DRY that the varying interests of the
districts would Offset one another
and thus secure a compromise that
would benefit al, does not work.
The man, who is sent to the legis-
lature today, must choose his course,
either TO play the game for personal
gain financial or political by trading
his vote for the best price; to cut up
didoes on the floor and win a repu-
tation as a parliamentarian, or to go
in determined to put through a GER
tain program in behalf of HIS con-
stituency and turn every circum-
stance to the advancement of that
program. The multiplicity of repre-
from small districts floods
the legislatures with special meas.
ures; no man can possibly hope TO
understand them, and the reformer.
who expects to go into the legisla-
ture and do more than represent his
own district, will be at the end of
the session very small BIT OF politi- |
cal wreckage. having done nothing
for his district, nothing for his state
and nothing for himself.
A dozen men elected from the state |
at large. holding their sessions in |
public, instead of doing all the work
in the privacy of committee rooms.
would get through all the laws for
the benefit OF the public in a short
time. intelligently and honestly: and
the voters would know who is re-
sponsible and just what the laws
mean.
This argument does not contravene |
the theory of local self-government
That is not involved. Our present
system Is the government of a whole |
state by a small part Of it: gov
eminent Of the majority by a min
GRITTY. That a change by electing a |
small body from the state at large
would improve the personnel OF the |
legislature. is indicated by the fact
that we do not ordinarily nominate
evil men to state execu-
tive Offices. Their records are care
fully scanned. because they must ap-
peal to a larger. more discriminating