Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-04
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Philadelphans on Subjects They
KnOU

quith. the late Lord Bryce, of England,
az; ana, in our own State. Senator Pepper and
Thomas Raeburn White. These are only
a very few of the distinguished men who
have examined and Endorsed the system.
OF course. proportional representation
would give any substantial minority in one
OF the big districts its proportionate share
9, or the district delegates to the Council
me erect OF this system is frequently mis-
Understood. Persons who have given but
little thought to the subject sometimes 20
so far ms to object to proportional repre-
sehtation on the ground that they believe
IN majority rule OF course. we want ma
J0rity rule. but the proportional method of
erection is the one system which assures It,
Our present system of election, the So
called majority or plurality system, may and
oftcn does result in minority rule more
than one. half Of the Council being elected
by less than ne-half of the voters. The
rehSon lor such a result is, of course, that
huge majority in one district counts for no
more more than small majority in another.
chuer proportional representation. both ma.
Jority RUE ana minority representation are
"S'u'eu' as all votes are given equal weight
Voting Objects Confused
There are two distinct objects IN bo
carried out by voting and we have been
confusing them. One object is to moto a
declsi0h, as, for example. whether we
shouid issue bonds or not issue them To
MAKE ma e. such a decision. what is required by
the fundamental principles of democracy 10
OF course, majority voting. ranging tbe
majority voters on one side and the minoritv
on the other. '''' '''"''4'S
1.-The other object of voting is - -.....r u,,
z BODY which is mt. 10 make decisions on
DehaiI OF all the voters. This object is
wholly different from the other one: and
what Is required for it Is NOT moioritu
voting at all. but what might bo colieI
quota voting To elect seven representa-.
tives' Tor example, what is needed is to let
any ones seventh of the voters who tb,nk
alike elect its man. any two. .seventbs '"rhn u,hn
think alike elect two men. etc '
This makes the body truly reprcse,to-
I've I've OF u. me h voters who elected it, No other
ans Sa soSE Is @ to .ds Levy IN and yycsr
The election Of one Councilman f,or,
each ward, system long used in many
parts OF America, was an attempt to elect
each Councilman by quota. The nnlv
troupie tr Win mat system was that it was
cient number Of persons who lived toaether
1t should have been n sufficient number %
persons who wanted the same reprcsento.
tive. Proportional representation is moth
ing but the substitution of this second kind
Of quota for the first kind. AA'
Voters Disfranchised
1.-THE present system of electinc Comm
cilmen In Philadelphia virtually disfran.
chises the thousands Of voters in the several
districts who do not vote for the winning
candidates. Moreover. as the ballot does
not admit OF several alternative preferences
thousands even of the voters who do votc
for the winning candidate do so not because
they really wanted him. but because ~
vote for the man whom they really did wa 10 10
would be only throwing their ballots awav W"~'
Even proportional representation ,.;,i
no.. of course, take the place of duc ott"n "a'
tion to public affairs on the part Of tbo
citizens. But 1t will make It far easer a,r
| count" A'' 'ote