Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1846-07-04
From the Missouri Reporter.
THE NEW OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
SENTATJON

OEI j n lON.
In popular government, as all power eman
ates from the people or is derived from the consent
Of the governed, equality OF representation is an
essential element the foundation Of the whole pc.
lilical organization. The Executive Depart
ment, chosen directly by the people, executes the
laws, and the Judicial no matter how chosen,
interprets and applies them to individual acts
The Legislature makes the laws, and If this De.
partment, which is the foundation OF the whole
structure, is chosen by minority Of the freemen,
then the whole fabric is anti. Democratic. No
expedent can cure so radical defect in the gov.
eminent. Next 10 free suffrage, or rather hand
in hand with il, and inseparabe therefrom, comes
equal representation. The one supposes the 9th
er, and is powerless without it, for it matters not
how minority obtains control OF the government
whether by restricted suffrage or unequal repre-.
sentston, the true popular basis no longer exists
II, then, the minority, or aristocratc principles
has been made the starting point in the new con-
stituton, j. is too radically defective, too hostile
TO the spirit Of civil liberty, and too insulting 10
the people, to deserve the sanction OF any intell
gent freeman, even if it be unexceptionable 10
every other particular.
The people OF Missouri demanded in August,
1874, by majority Of four to one, that represen.
tation in this State should be equalized; but the
Convention held last winter spurned the popular
will. The provisions Of the new constitution on
this point are now we'll understood, and we pro.
pose in this article to subject those provisions to
practical test, in order that their injustice may
be the more readily perceived We have bean
unable to procure copy Of the report Of the
Committee on New Counties, made at the last
session Of the Legislature and consequently our
calculations cannot be reduced 10 so minute de.
tails as we had desired.
| The new constitution provides that the basis oil
representation shall be "the permanent free white
inhabitants OF the State" According to tho cen
sus Of 1874, as given in the Journals Of the last
Legislature, this class Of inhabitants numbered
436, 9OS.
To ascertain the ratio Of representation. the
number Of inhabitants to be represented, must be
divided by 100; giving as the quotient, on the
last census, 1860.
Each county having three. fhhs Of said quotent
is to be entitled to representatives that u.s. each
county having 1881 permanent free white inhab
itants.
Each county having said quolient and frac'
ton over equal to two.thirds, is to be entitled &c
two representatives; that is, for 1881 inhabitants
Each county having twice said quotient, and q
fraction over equal 10 two thirds, is 10 have three
ioC ll,ocO
Each county having four times said quotient. is
10 have four representatives; is, for II. 47e
inhabitants.
For each additional number equal to said quo
tent, each county is TO have an additional repre-
sentative;-that is, for every additional 1850 in
habitants.
In order to make this inequality obvious at a
glance, we have arranged the following table,
The first column shows the number Of represent
tatives the second, the population required there
for according to the new constitution; the third
the population required according to equal repre-
sentation and the fourth, the number dsfranchisee
in each class of counties by the new constitution
In this calculation, we have omitted one element
OF inequality, which will be noticed hereafter,
and have carried the calculation no farther thar
for ten representatives about the number st
Louis would be entitled to, under the new const
tuition: