Proportional Representation;Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, 1872 - 320 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
adopted amendment applied Assessors Birmingham borough BUCKALEW cast choice chosen Columbia County committee Constitution contested Convention votes corruption Councilmen County cumulative vote debate delegates Democratic didates disfranchisement effect elec electoral colleges electoral reform electoral votes entitled equal evil fact favor four free vote gerrymandering give highest in vote House of Commons House of Lords injustice justice lative legislative Legislature limited vote Lord majority rule majority vote manner ment minority mode nomination Northumberland County number of persons number of votes object obtain officers opinion Parliament plan of voting plurality rule political interest political parties polled popular elections popular vote present presidential electors primary elections principle proportional representation proposed proposition question ratio reform bill reformed voting repre representation representative body Republican result secure Senate single districts suffrage three candidates three members three votes ticket tion tory town trict vacancies veto voters whole number
Popular passages
Page 92 - Every voter shall be entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of the members of the school board to be elected, and may give all such votes to one candidate, or may distribute them among the candidates as he thinks fit.
Page 227 - In all elections of representatives aforesaid, each qualified voter may cast as many votes for one candidate as there are representatives to be elected, or may distribute the same, or equal parts thereof, among the candidates, as he shall see fit; and the candidates highest in votes shall be declared elected.
Page 133 - Now nothing is more certain than that the virtual blotting out of the minority is no necessary or natural consequence of freedom ; that, far from having any connection with democracy, it is diametrically opposed to the first principle of democracy, representation in proportion to numbers. It is an essential part of democracy that minorities should be adequately represented. No real democracy, nothing but a false show of democracy, is possible without it.
Page 220 - The house of representatives shall consist of three times the number of the members of the senate, and the term of office shall be two years.
Page 126 - IT HAS been seen that the dangers incident to a representative democracy are of two kinds: danger of a low grade of intelligence in the representative body, and in the popular opinion which controls it; and danger of class legislation on the part of the numerical majority, these being all composed of the same class.
Page 135 - The natural tendency of representative government, as of modern civilization, is toward collective mediocrity: and this tendency is increased by all reductions and extensions of the franchise, their effect being to place the principal power in the hands of classes more and more below the highest level of instruction in the community.
Page 242 - ... as well as all moneys received in pursuance of the provisions of the fourth section of an Act entitled 'An Act to increase the county rates and levies for the use of the Commonwealth,' approved the twenty-fifth day of March, 1831, be and the same are hereby transferred and assigned to the Common School Fund ; and that at the expiration of twelve months after the passage of this Act, and regularly at the expiration...
Page 84 - ID the States of the south when rebellion was plotted, and when open steps were taken to break the Union, was unfortunate, for it would have held the Union men of those States together and have given them voice in the electoral colleges and in Congress. But they were fearfully overborne by...
Page 242 - Liability Commission, who shall hold their offices for the term of two years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.
Page 127 - The pure idea of democracy, according to its definition, is the government of the whole people by the whole people, equally represented. ' Democracy as commonly conceived and hitherto practised, is the government of the whole people by a mere majority of the people, exclusively represented.