electoral systems in this country are exceedingly defective, and
that they require thorough revision, that to them the hand of
reform must be strongly applied if republican institutions are to
be ultimately successful with us.

I would see much less objection to your extension of the right of
suffrage very largely to classes now excluded if you had a
different mode of voting, if you did take or could take the sense
of these added classes in a different manner from that which now
obtains in popular voting. You proceed at present upon the
principle or rule that a mere majority of the electoral community
shall possess the whole mass of political power; and what are the
inevitable results? First, that the community is divided into
parties, and into parties not very unequal in their aggregate
numbers. What next? That the balance of power between parties is
held by a very small number of voters; and in practical action
what is the fact? That the struggle is constantly for that
balance of power, and in order to obtain it, all the arts and all
the evil influences of elections are called into action. It is
this struggle for that balance of power that breeds most of the
evils of your system of popular elections. Now, is it not
possible to have republican institutions and to eliminate or
decrease largely this element of evil? Why, sir, take the State
of Pennsylvania, whose voice, perhaps, in this Government is to
give direction to its legislation at a given time and take a
pecuniary interest in the country largely interested in your
laws, looking forward upon the eve of a hotly contested election
to some particular measures of Government which shall favor it,
with what ease can that interest throw into the State a pecuniary
contribution competent to turn the voice of that powerful State
and change or determine the policy of your Government. And why
so? It is only necessary that this corrupt influence should be
exerted very slightly indeed within that State from abroad in
order to turn the scale, because you are only to exert your
pernicious power upon a small number of persons who hold the
balance of power between parties therein. Sir, that organization
of our system which allows such a state of things to occur must
be inherently vicious. Instead o