The Principles of Parliamentary Representation/Chapter IV
Chapter IV.
Final Summary.
The main points, which I claim to have made good in this little treatise, are as follows:—
(1) That electoral Districts should be so large as to return, on an average, 3 or more Members each: and that single-Member Districts should be, as far as possible, done away with.
(2) That Members should be assigned to the several Districts in such numbers that the quota, needed to return a Member, should be tolerably uniform throughout the Kingdom.
(3) That each Elector should give one vote only.
(4) That all votes given should be at the absolute disposal of the Candidate for whom they are given, whether to use for himself, or to transfer to other Candidates, or to leave unused.
(5) That the Elections in the several Districts should terminate, as nearly as possible, at the same time.
As a practical conclusion to this treatise, I venture to suggest the following ideal Schedule of General Resolutions, such as might fairly be agreed on by all parties, and thus tend to the peaceful termination of this deplorable controversy.
[N.B. The numbers here suggested are merely tentative, and capable of being modified ad libitum.]
General Resolutions.
1. The House shall consist of 660 Members.
2. There shall be 180 electoral Districts.
3. No District shall contain less than a population of 60,000, or more than 500,000.
4. A District, whose population is between 60,000 and 105,000, shall have one Member assigned to it; between 105,000 and 150,000, two Members; and so on, in accordance with the following Table:—
| 60,000 | 1 |
| 105,000 | 2 |
| 150,000 | 3 |
| 195,000 | 4 |
| 240,000 | 5 |
| 280,000 | 6 |
| 320,000 | 7 |
| 365,000 | 8 |
| 410,000 | 9 |
| 455,000 | 10 |
| 500,000 |
5. If the population of a District be very near to one of the above-named numbers, its boundaries shall be altered so as to increase, or diminish, the population, by not less than 10,000.
6. If it be agreed to give political weight to differences in rateable property, or to the difference between town and country voters, this shall be done by modifying the number of Members assigned by the above Table.
7. The procedure at a local Election shall be as follows:—Each Elector shall give one vote only. When the poll is closed, the number of recorded votes shall be divided by the number of Members to be returned increased by one, and the returning-officer shall announce the whole number, next greater than the quotient, as the quota needed, to return one Member; the whole number, next greater than twice the quotient, as the quota needed to return two Members; and so on. He shall also announce the number of votes recorded for each Candidate, and shall declare to be duly returned any Candidate who has obtained the quota. If any vacancies remain to be filled, he shall appoint a time when the Candidates shall appear before him, and any two or more of them may then formally signify their desire to club their votes, and may nominate, as Candidates to be returned by those votes, so many of themselves as the votes suffice for: provided always that they include, in such nomination, any of themselves who have been already declared to be returned. And, if the sum total of the votes so clubbed be not less than the quota needed to return the Candidates so nominated, the returning-officer shall declare to be duly returned all of them who have not been already so declared.
8. The local Elections shall be so arranged that their results may be announced, as nearly as possible, at the same time.