PROPORTIONALREPRESENTATIONNEARPUREDEMOCRACY
I
Means End
to All Hack
Politicians
Would Hurt Party Govern
ment But Afford Direct Rep
resentation ; Real Statesmen
Have No Fears of Sygtem.
House of200-300 Ample
B> H. G. WELLS.
Author of "The Outline of Hleterr."
London, Way 31.—The politicians
of Great Britain under the pressure
of various accidental and some funda
mental necessities are belnr forced
ZJ
toward* an honest democracy and ef
flclent government. But they resist
with great activity and Ingenuity.
A bill for what Is called proportional
representation, but which la really
sane voting, has recently been reject
ed by the house of commons by 23S
to 144. It had the official support
of the liberal party. Previously, the
liberal hacks were against It but
they have been chastened by the last
two elections. The bill went far to
wards honest representative govern
ment. But when the time comes for
its reintroduction it will be necessary
to extend it or supplement It by an
other, reducing the numbers of the
representative assembly.
The urgencies of the British situa
tion have put Great Britain far In
advance of the United States in this
majter. There is a, respectable move
ment for proportional representation
in the United States, but It has still
to be realized ns practical politics and
a serious need by the American
public.
In America, every citizen la born
either a little republican or a little
democrat. It does not matter what
the republican or democratle platform
““ V
How About a Little Home Art?
Nothing nrtistie is worth while unless il comes from the other sidf."
By o. o. McIntyre. i
I am beginning to wonder if there,
1* really any art in America. Europe
for the last few years haa been draw
ing the red herring acroes the trail.
Nothing artiatic is worth while un
ites it comes from the other side. Cer
tainly we must have a little home
talent.
The man who brings most of the
so-called artistic things to New York
is foreign born. He has millions, lie
says his whole purpose in life is to
further and support Amerlfan art.
As one who knows nothing about art
I'm growing wary.
There is a man who brought the
Cbauve Souris, DiaghilefT's Russian
Ballet, Copeau's Theater du Vieux
Colombler, Stanislavsky’s Moscow
Players and lately Max Reinhardt's
‘Miracle."
He has a mild Itch for publicity and
I get the idea he is more interested
in personal exploitations than art
vith a capital A. I have seen much
worthier efforts than those of the
Moscow Players or Chauvs Souris ex
pire for lack of funds. European art
for same reason or Other always has
a bankroll behind it. Why?
It Is a fair question and I think
it Is time some of us were seektlng
the answer. ‘‘The Miracle," for In
stance, is a marvelous spectacle—a
stupendous one. Only one with mll
Pons could have fostered It despite
the whin" of the pseudo producer that
he was on his last quarter when the
play opens.
Now it seems to me “The Miracle"
is subtle propaganda ami In many
ways also In my opinion it is danger
our propaganda. Ko that's that.
Entriie and I nfair.
For the last 10 years there has
been an increasing flair to bring all
the heralded art triumphs from Eu
rope. It has come to the point where
only the good actors, good painters,
good musicians and the like are for
eign born. That Is not only untrue.
It Is unfair. ,
I cannot help but remember of be
ing In Paris when an American singer
was roundly hissed for no reason at
all. Nor can I forget the boos in a
London music hall when an Amer
ican actor said "dollars" instead of
"pounds."
America is always being heralded
a* a land of promise for art. In
other words we are artistically stupid,
hut Europs is going to teach us. I
quoie from the speech of one of the
foreign born backers of American nrt
before the Drama league. He is
speaking of the idealism of our art
and says: "In some ways It is crude
n», yet. home of its manifestation* are
tawdry? some irritating, some pnthet
|e, but some of them splendid, and,
whatever the mode of expression, the
thing Itself Is yery deep snd line, very
genuine and full of promise."’
In other word* again we are a
money grubbing nation chasing the
dollar, but we are going to be taught
of the beautiful things.
Europe has not In the last half
i entury produced a playwright that
Is anyway comparable to Eugene
O'Neill, Zone Gala, George Kelley,
Eugene Valter, or a half dozen
others I could name. Or have they
produced a novelist or writer com
parable to Booth Tarklngton. Mere
dith Nicholson, George Ade, Sinclair
Lewis and a dozen more I could
name.
In the spectacle side of the theater
they have not produced anyone to
compare to Zelgftld, George White,
and several othters.
^ More Americanism Needed,
It Is ft maatake to foeter the Idea
that we have not as much of the
historically romantic background h»
»slats In European countries. True
. art Is national mid It Is not rioted
to any particular soil. It does not
strike me that It Is furthering 'Amerl
cert art to bring these Europea#
achievements over here with a loud
sounding of trumpets. It is dis
couraging to the American artist.
It has always been a mystery to
me why so few American singers
have achieved the Metropolitan
opera. Those that do. have to yield
themselves to European teachers for
many years—so much so that they
return almost de nationalized.
I am getting to the point where
I pine for a little more American
ism in everything from opera to my
menus. I refuse to believe America
Is just groping after higher things
and cannot find them.
Also I am a little weary of men
who have come to America from
Europe and grown into millionaires
continually neglecting our American
artists and furthering the cause of
the Europeans. I wish the European
artists well, hut between the two I'm
for the American artist every time.
Let's give him a chance.
The idea that unless it is Imported
It is no good is gaining too much
headway among those who do not
think. It is bad for American ideals.
It strikes at the very root of our
most valuable asset—love of country.
Europe should not be the arbiter
of American art. We have developed
our own and it is just ns good if
not better than what wo are being
sent every month or so.
We are beginning to view our
American artistic efforts with a sort
of martyred expression.
1'. S. Plays Superior.
Never in the history of the New
York theater has there been such a
conspicuous season as the one just
past. There were more than 35 sure
fire hits on Broadway. They ran the
range—comedy, drama and tragedy.
They were American made and done
by Americans and there wasn't a one
that didn't surpass every European
importation, from “The Miracle” to
"Cliauve Souris"—up or down as you
please.
I’m also tired of hearing America
referred to as the “land of the al
mighty dollar.” It isn't true now and
it never was true. America in the
past century has conquered a contl
ABYKRTIUKMEIT.
• Mrs. C. A. l'AYNE.
Health Brings Beauty
Manchester, Jown.—‘I am glad to
hove the opportunity to tell of the
great benefit T have received by tak
ing Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription
and Dnlden Medical Discovery. They
are the two finest medicines I have
ever used. Have taken lots of
otherd but never got any relief until
I started taking these remedies. I
had been troubled for about four
years with feminine weakness and
my feet would swell until T would
have to take off my shoes, but since
taking Dr. Pierce's medlclnel feel
much better—sleep better, sud am
beginning to feel more Ilka myself. I
j will always praise Dr. Pierce's medl
tines." Mra. C. A. Payns, 600 E.
Butler Street.
tiet Dr. Pierce's remsdles st any
i drug slots, In tablets or liquid. Write
Dr. Pisces, President invalids' Hotel
In Buffalo, N. V., for fre» nodical
sdvlce
1
Is or what tort of man Is put up for
him In his division, he has to vote
for his party. There is nothing else
for him to do.
America’s Youth Advantage.
The United States is young, pros
perous and at a great advantage to
the rest of the world; It may be able
to afford its present travesty of
democracy for a long time yet.
Britain cannot. The party system has
alwaya been more rigidly organized
in America than in England. In
Britain on the left side, counting
liberal, labor and communist to
gether, there are eight or 10 distinct
sohools of political thought and inten
tion; on the right side there are five
or six. The British voter grows
more erratic and the results of gen
•ral election* more silly and Incalcul
able.
The Idea of proportional representa
tion ia now- nearly a century old. It 1b
due to a clear headed man named
Hare. He proposed that a number
of candidates should stand for the
whole country as one constituency.
The voter would vote for the man he
liked and trusted best. If that man
was ao widely liked and trusted that
he got more votes than is needed to
return him, he takes as large a frac
tion of every vote as he needs and
if the voter has Indicated a second
choice on his paper, the rest of each
vote goes to the candidate next on
the lint.
Direct Representation Assured
Whatever happens some or all of
the voter's support goes to the man
he has chosen. That man Is his man
par excellence. There could be no
direct relatlonahlp between voter and
representative. But if that man It a
desirable man, the voter may also
congratulate himself on the partial
posaesslon of a second or even a third,
more personal representative.
There are people who profess to find
great difficulty In understanding pro'
portional representation; mostly this
Is a purely wilful and subjective be
fuddlement. The filling up of the vot
ing papers Is perfectly simple and
the counting and fractionation of the
votes offers no difficulty to any
properly Instructed educated person.
Hare System Modified
For trivial reasons Hare's voting
method, which would give us# an al
most pur# representatatlve democ
ABE MARTIN On the Circus |
___/
A Veteran O’Many Continental Tour*.
Well, th' season fer th’ sawdust
scented, much frequented, circus
tented has rolled around agin. Tear
after year these slupedous aggrega
tions with arenlc celebrities gathered
ffom th' capitals o' th’ wrorld, rare
exotic beasts an' birds, an’ trained
seals, take th' road an’ thrill th'
same ole countless thousan's, an' hun
dreds no’ new babies. But th’ circus
has Its fans jest th’ same as the
atrical stock comppanies, burnt cork
minstrelsy, an other time honored In
stltutlons, an' their alius downtown
early on ''show day” t’ see th’ same
ole "magnificent, new free street
demonstration—a solid mile o' glit
terin' oriental splender rlvalln’ th'
Me day pageantry o' ancient- Rome,
etc.” We haven't missed but one
circus In forty years, an' It dldn'
show. We alius count th’ cages, but
ther's never BO as advertised, an’
we've never yet caught an’ Abys
sinian wart hog awake an' on Its feet.
He's alius gone t' th' hay. We
learned t' swear watchln' 'em unload
a circus. We've seen th’ same black
Sumatra rhinoceros with th’ same
circus since he wuz a calf. Th’ last
time we saw him they'd sawed his
horns off so he'd fit th’ cage. Ring
lln’s have th’ only circus giraffes.
They die so easy that other circuses
seem t' git tired buryln’ 'em all th’
time, so they don't have 'em. We
guess Ringlln's 1s like th' feller that
nent, physically and industrially. If
we have been seeking the dollar even
in our most materialistic days It was
for better country.
I have failed to find an Edward
H. llarriman in Europe in the past
decade. Or a James J. Hill or a lot
more I couW name. Harriman was
not only » great Industrial leader he
was a poet. He rhymed In rails.
Now the big point Is this. If Eu
rope wants to send us her art let s
welcome it. We don't want to hiss
anil boo as I have seen It done over
there. But let's not grow so hysteri
cal. Lets look around the corner,
or next door. The chaVices are we
will find something just as good.
In the past five years America has
developed more novelists who have
written marvelous pieces of work than
the rest of the world combined. I
know very little of painting and sculp
ture but a man who knows tells me
that in these two arts America has
mad* more progress in recent years
than anyaither country.
So It Is up to most of us to cheer
a little for ourselves and at the same
time we can appreciate what Europe
■
Is doing and give her a cheer now and
then. But we ought to <av» moat
of our cheers for the home folks.
They need It. They have been starv
ing for a few kind words and friendly
pats on the bacl» long enough.
(Copyright. 1154 >
AUDUBON CALF
CLUB WILL TOUR
Spec let hhpilrh to The Omaha Boo.
Audubon, la.. May 31.—The Audu
bon county calf club tour will be
made next Thursday. A picnic din
ner will be held on the E. B. Thomas
farm, north of town, at which place
a number of calves will be judged by
Frank Duvall, official Judge of the
tour. Another group of calves win ba
Judged on the Willie Esbeck farm In
Oalcfieid township later In the day.
The local I.lons club Is co-operating
with the county farm bureau to keep
up the Interest of the farm boys and
girls In club work. There ere 24
boys enrolled In the calf club this
yea r.
got married so many times, that said
he'd bury ’em as fait as th' good
I.ord took 'em. Some o' the ole. flat
back ring horaea that come around
have been In th’ business for 40
years, an' th' pearl o’ th' arena Is
jest as safe on their backs as she'd
be walkin’ around Milroy, Indianny.
Unlika non professional horses, they
go slower instead o' faster when
they’re whipped. 'Bout th’ only dif
ference In circuses Is th’ number o’
elephants, which ranges from three
t' 30. But they all do th’ same
things. When an elephant gits tired
o’ th' show business, they shoot him.
Th’ only new thing we've seen with
a circus fer years, we seen last year
—a bony sebra. If ther s anything
In th' world that's found an' plump,
Its a rebra. They're easy kept an'
git no exercise. Th' ole feller stood
In th' cage with his head down an'
his eyes half closed jest like an’ ole
fergotten hack horse In front of a
soft drink parlor. We'll bet If ha
could have talked, he would have
asked about George June on' the' ole
Gilmore Zoo. Th’ same circus had
onother novely—th’ trained seals wux
brought In th’ ring In a wheelbarrow
in stead of a push car.
Tree SURGERY
r«n not be executed by everyone.
It is dangerous to attempt this un
less you aro an expert. We attend
to tree* when and where they need
i* in order to improve their ap
pearance and prolong their life. In
veatigate thi* erviee.
50th a ad Ihjdge C. E. Baldwin. Mgr
AT. 0174 or HA. 3500
North Side—liable Flower Shop
Him N. tith
■BaBBaaaaman,
— ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■■■ ■■ -
Real Estate Doesn’t Go Broke
.
*
When an Investor has his money in Real
Estate, he doesn’t spend any time worrying
about the Safety of his Investment.
He knows it won’t fail. He knows it won’t
get away from him. He knows his Invest
ment is absolutely Safe, Secure and Firm.
Omaha Real Estate, since the very first in
corporation of this city, has had a habit of
increasing in value.
Consistent Investors in Omaha Real Estate j
have made themselves financially independ- j
ent. They are free from all financial worry.
Any kind of Omaha Real Estate, Vacant S
Property, represent the highest form of In- I
vestment. ;
When money goes into such investments, the :
Investor is one step nearer financial inde
pendence.
The same is true of those than invest in Ne
braska or Iowa farms, or in mortgages se
cured by those farms. j
Realtors are the best informed on these Invest
! ments. They will give you the best advice and
counsel. They are reliable.
! _
OMAHA REAL ESTATE BOARD
Consult a Realtor
!
L : :"-.: ''
racy, haa been modified In all the
practlal proposals made by the di
vision of the country Into large con
stltuencies Instead of leaving It one
whole, and the assignation of a limited
but still large number of members
to each. But Its virtue of comparative
veracity In representation still to a
large extent remains.
Kendall's recent bill proposes con
stituencies returning not less than
three and not more than seven mem
bers. This Is much too small for a
real representation of British opinion
but It was as much as the paxty
wirepullers would allow. When the
question Is reopened this maximum
should be Increased.
The objections to the measure were
mostly trivial or based on misconcep
tions. Ths question was Indeed not
discussed. Most of the opponents
from the labor side contented them
selves with twitting the liberal poli
ticians with change of heart upon
the question. Most of the big men in
all parties are for proportional rep
resentation because they know they
are outstanding enough to survive Its
establishment.
Party Hack Doomed.
The party hack knows ha lives
through end by hie party; the voter
doee not choose him but suffers him,
and at the flrat clear opportunity
the voter will push him out of the
way and choose a more Interesting
nonparty man. About 70 labor men
who have at on# time or another pro
fessed approval of proportional rep
resentation did not vote.
The struggle against proportional
representation is really the life strug
gle of the professional party politl
7
I c--- ' ' -
clan. Under proportional reprasenta
tlon the legislative assembly Instead
of being selected by a small majority
or even a minority of the voters In
the country will be representative of
nearly the whole country.
In a constituency electing 10 mem
here, for instance, there will prob
ably be less than a tenth of that con
stituency not actually represented by
members returned. This will All the
assembly, with free members, respons
ible only to the voters who have re
turned them and practically Independ
ant of organized party support. They
will necessarily be various In their
opinions.
Reduce Size of Bodies,
it Is not yet sufficiently realized
e\en by the supporters of proportion
al representation that a country
which returns men because they are
distinctive and significant to Its leeis
lature—and that Is what the adoption
of proportional representation means
—will need an assembly of a different
size and type from the present clumsy
crowd of notables and nobodles at
Westminster.
There ere too many members of
parliament at Westminster for effici
ency Just aa thara are too many
congressmen at Washington. Thay
loaf about. They do mischief In ob
acurltjr. They are to publlo affairs
what excessive fat la to the body of
a man. These big legislative bodies
date from a time when group psy
chology was not thought of. It Is
even possible that a big legislative
body elected by proportional represen
tation, would be a worse evil even
than the party house.
Released from the party ties that
control them, bunched Into fluctuat
ing groups, the scores and hundred s
of unnecessary members would ob
struct and confuse every legislative
proposal. Proportional representation
must mean not only the suppression
of the hack politician but also the
suppression of the commonplace mem
ber.
Kor efficient government we want
a legislature no larger than Is fairly
representative of the broad varieties
of public opinion. At the largest we
need only from 200 to 300 members,
a grand committee of the nation, ap
pointing ministers severally, assign
ing tasks to subcommittees and ex
pressing the general Ideas of the
country.
We shall certainly be able to
dispense with the rotation of the ' :rs
and outs” and possibly with the or
ganized cabinet in such a legislature.
The adoption of proportional repre
sentation will be a much profounder
and more revolutionary change than
s mere change In voting procedure.
It will necessitate an entirely new
type of representative government.
In that lies Its importance In the
world s affairs and Its fascination and
desirability for most intellgentl peo
ple.
(Copyright 1*14 I
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Don’t you remember that’s one point the architect
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broad Celotex lumber was easily and rapidly used.
Yes, but I remember especially the comfort ho
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IF arm in winter—cool in summer.
w And I remember that insulation, with Celotex, of
t the walls and roof is going to save me about a
1 third of our fuel bill every year.
from the long.tough
/ never sate a good house before that wasn’t
all boarded and papered up.
Maybe not. But since Celotex was first made there
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,n.T and ( Celotex. It replaces wood sheathing, paper and
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J It all sounds good to me. Iam going to tell Dick
and Flo about Celotex. They’ want to build.
All right, but tell them also to write for that book
we got The address is 645 N. Michigan Avenue,
. Chicago, 111. The Celotex Company. •
THERE IS A USE FOR CELOTEX IN EVERY BUILDING
(
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. - .. H
