1529. CONGRESS, Election of Members.—
An election [of members of Congress] by
districts would be best, if it could be general;
but while ten States choose either by their
legislatures or by a general ticket, it is folly
and worse than folly for the other six not to
do it. In these ten States the minority is entirely
unrepresented; and their majorities not
only have the weight of their whole State in
their scale, but have the benefit of so much of
our minorities as can succeed at a district
election. This is, in fact, ensuring to our
minorities the appointment of the Government.
To state it in another form, it is
merely a question whether we will divide the
United States into sixteen or one hundred and
thirty-seven districts. The latter being more
chequered, and representing the people in
smaller sections, would be more likely to be
an exact representation of their diversified
sentiments. But a representation of a part by
great, and a part by small sections, would give
a result very different from what would be
the sentiment of the whole people of the
United States, were they assembled together.—
To James Monroe. Washington ed. iv, 308.
Ford ed., vii, 401.
(Pa.,
1800)
