The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1920-06-18
ADVOCATES CHANGE IN
SYSTEM OF VOTING

DR.. Felix Adler's advocacy OF
changing our system of representa-
tion so as to have public officials OF
all kinds, including congressman and
members of legislatures and munich
pal councils, selected by the people
voting in occupational groups instead
of geographical groups has brought
this proposal to the front in intellec-
tual circles. Naturally DR.. Adler's
high character and high reputation
as a scholar and thinker give weight
to any proposal which he makes
seriously.
In a general way, the system Of oc-
cupational voting and representation
would work as follows:
Suppose that we were about to elect
new Congress.
At present our Congress consists of
531 members. Two Senator's are
elected from each state regardless of
the size or population of the state
The people of Ohio, for example, elect
two Senators by voting in geo
graphical group-that is to say, all the
people grouped within the geographic
al boundaries of the State of Ohio.
The members of the House of Rep
resentatives are elected from similar
geographical groups called districts
that is to say, a majority of all the
voters living within the geographical
boundaries Of a district elect one
Representative.
The practical result of this system
is that persons living within certain
geographical boundaries are compell-
ed to make a choice between two or
three or four candidates put up by
political party organizations which
are almost always operated by men
who make business of doing politics
for what there is in it.
We talk about the elections regis
tering the choice and the free-will of
the sovereign American voter. But as
a matter of fact the average Ameri-
can voter hasn't any more to do with
picking the candidate for whom he
must vote, if he votes at all, than he
has to do with the procession of the
equinoxes. A few professionals nick
the candidates on both tickets, and all
that the sovereign American voter is
permitted to do is to make his choice
between these hand picked candidates,
There are always rich and powerful
individuals and corporations who are
greatly interested in Legislation to
come and they naturally, both directly
and indirectly, seek to control the
election by first controlling the nom
inatlons on both tickets. Because if
they can load up both tickets to their
satisfaction they are perfectly willing.
TO SIT back and let the sovereign voter
make choice. Either way thew are
playing the game "heads / win tails
you lose" with the voters.
Everybody knows that this condi-
tlon exists, and Congress after Con-
gress and legislature after legislature
has attempted to cure this bad condi-
Ilon py an infinite number of curative
laws, such as the direct primary, the
secret ballot, the initiative, the referen-
dum and the recall-all of them ex-
cellent measures but none of them 20
ing TO the root Of the matter.
Or. Adler, and other men who apree
with him, think that for voting pur-
cordlng to occupations instead OF ac-
poses the people should be grouped ac-
cofdlng to geographical boundaries.
Now, how would this work out in
electlng our Congress?
The census of the United States di-
Vldes the producing hand-workers and
Dfaln workers OF the nation into eight
great occupational groups, as follows:
Engaged in agriculture, 12,6O0,OO0; in
mining. l,00O,0OO; in mechanical in
q dduEsdtries, 100000; in transportation
a'ooo,oOo; in trade, 100000; in pro-
LESSONS, 100000; in domestic and
personal service, 100000; in clerical
work, 100000. In addition there are
also 2o,O0o,OOO women engaged in
home making. All together, the men
ana women above twenty-one years or
age number about 60,OC0,OOO.
If these sixty million voters were
divided into eight general occupation
al groups, and these groups were pro-
portlonately represented in the Con-
gress by group voting, then the new
Congress would line up as follows:
Agricultural occupations, ia; me-
chanical and manufacturing occupa-
tlons, SO; mining occupations, 8:
transportation and communication oc-
cupations, 20; trade and merchandise
occupations, 40; domestic and person
al service occupations, 80; profession
al occupations, 10; women-house-
wives, ETC., not classified in either of
the other groups, 173.
The contention of DR.. Adler is that
such a Congress would be far more
representative of tho people of the
United States-of the farmers and
mechanics and other brainworkers and
hand-workers who form the masses
than the present Congress or any
other Congress we have ever had.
1t would be lot more sensible and
a whole lot more beneficial to all of
us if we allow the farmers group and
the mechanics group and the clerks
group and housewives group to have
at least as much representation and
as many members in the National
Congress as the lawyers and bankers
cou;ntc