Page:Thomas Hare - The Election of Representatives, parliamentary and municipal.djvu/43

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TABLE OF CONTENTS.

THE REPRESENTATION OF MAJORITIES, MINORITIES, AND INDIVIDUALS.

Foundation of the power, page 1—and definition of majority, 2—Composition, 3—Burke, 1, 6— Guizot, 2, 7, 12—Calhoun, 3, 5, 19, 20—Conventional character, 3—Absolute government of numerical majority, 3— Its abuse, 6, 20—Suffrage insufficient to form constitutional government, 4 — Distinction of numerical from concurrent or constitutional majority, 5—Extinction in the representative body of the less popular parties by the detached action of local majorities, 7—Minorities in this country, 8—Supposed compensative representation, 9—Its injustice, impolicy, and danger, 10—Collection of the diversities of opinion of many, instead of the record of the preponderance of one of two or three opinions, 12—National loss in excluding the intelligence of all the minorities, 12—Three-cornered constituencies, or restricted vote, 12—Cumulative Vote, 13—Objections, 15—Ancient powers of knights and burgesses, and analogy of the jury, 16—Speeches of Mr. Bright, 17—Protection to Minorities and individuals in the power to form other new constituencies, 21—Free interchange of political force, 21, 22.

CONSTITUENCIES BY VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION AND UNANIMITY.

Association of individual electors of different constituencies, page 23—Its basis a community of sentiment, 24—Registrars, 24, 25—Relative magnitude of voluntary constituencies, 25—Average number of electors, 26—Mode of ascertaining the quota, 25, 26—Extent of the field for collecting kindred opinions, 27, 28—Facilities of intercourse, 27—Educational franchise, 28—Defects of the form suggested, 29—Unsuitableness of the