The Forgotten Fight for Proportional Representation

In a letter to the editor regarding the necessity for a new constitution, E. C. Kilbourne argues that the national civil-service system and electoral process have become corrupted by party machines. He writes: 'To insure success the adherents of each party must know previous to the election who they are to vote for, and for this purpose party conventions are established... and the conventions are controlled by whatever faction has been the most active in procuring the attendance of adherents.' Kilbourne proposes a 'preferential system'—an early form of proportional representation—whereby voters could rank candidates by choice, ensuring that minorities are represented and that 'the ablest man the state contained would always be found in the legislative hall.' He notes that while the US Senate once hesitated to adopt such 'revolutionary' methods, the territory's own constitutional framers at Walla Walla had already authorized the legislature to adopt such a system after 1890, provided the people were educated on its merits. He concludes by calling on local debating societies to discuss the reform, arguing that governing a densely populated nation requires more sophisticated methods than those used in a frontier society.