Delaware State reporter., 1853-04-26


she can claim more than her just rights on any
subject ] suppose, on the same principle, if in
referee trial. "A corporation i'll New Cas,le
county were opposed to an individual in Kentor
Sussex, that corporation should be represented
by dozen men. looS upon the question some
what in this light aswcll as in reference to the
population.
am willing, as far as my vote goes, to grant
to New Castle county all the representation
which her members ask for. am willing that
they shall district the county just as they want
it, but | am not willing that they shall come
down here and tell us that we must district Kent
and Sussex according to their wishes. want
them to let lis alone If they wish to be dis
tricted, let them be districtcd i'll their own way
but think they are asking us to do too much,
OF arc trying to force us to do that which we
are unwilling to do, when they come here and
ask us to district our counties, particularly mas
much as no member from Kent or Sussex has
intimatcd that he desires any such thing. We
can get along very well with our own AFFAIRS.
We of Kent and Sussex, have got along hereto
fore without much trouble or quarrding IT, in
New Castle, they are divided in sections so that
they cannot unite, am willing to district them
according to those sections and let them have
their QUAR- els to themselves. | am willing TO
give them the number of representatives for
which they ask but hope they will lctus alone
We are not ready to be districtcd i'll the manner
in which they have laid us off. I, at least, am
not ready for it. If were satisfied the people
I of Kent county wished to be laid oil, should,
of course, yield and vote against my own views :;
but am not willing to so into this business
ltninstructed by any expression Of the views oil
! the people Of Kent county in favor Of it.
Mr. CoRBT. | have no doubt at all that our
Y friends from Kent and Sussex will be disposed,
in their own way, to do us justice i'll a consider
/ able degree and, as they have the power, We
shall necessarily have to submit to their choosing
their own way of doingit. We have heard two
gentlemen from Kent speak favorably on this
subject; and it strikes me that, though they
may vote against abstract propositions, we may,
at least, rely on their magnanimity and luslce.
to approximate the representation OF New Castle
county TO something like equality.
~ Mr.. BAYARp. Mr.. Chairman, have few
words more to say ON this subject. do not
intend to continue this discussion; and, per-
7 haps, this is the last time that | shall trouble
this body in relation to it. ] regret exceedingly
the result which sec will be arrived at. The
first portions of my amendment arranged things
for the present--that is, from the time OF the
adoption of the Constitution. That branch Of
the amendment which is now under conSidtra-
ton relates to the future. You have refused, as
far as we can Judge by your votes-what scheme
may be brought forward hereafter do not know
to accord, for the present, the principle Of
representation nproportion to population. lor
have also refused to district the State with 9
view to the destruction of that county feeling
that esprit du corps in the counties, which
consider the bane of any STATE, particularly o
State so small as Delaware, and 10 dcica
which was one Of my main objects i'll TIN
amendments which have DronoSCl.
The amendment now before you simply pro
vidcs prospcctively, that, after the year 1861, ;,
! for the returns of the next census will not b.
made before that timc-it shall be the duty 0
+ the Legislature TO adopt these principles. WI
!, do not know what will then be the relative pro
l portion Of inhabitants iii each county. 1t ma,
# be that Kent will be superior in population f
| Sussex 1t may be that either of them will b
i superior in population to New CaStN:: Gentle
n mCn may indulge in different probabilities
f certain it is, however, that we do not know
what will be the relative population Of the dit
t fercnt counties in 1861. This amendment pro
poses that, after that time, you Shall oblitcrat
, county lines, for purposes of State leglSla
ton and that the State shall be so district
+ ed as to approximate, as near as may be
@ to representation in proportion to population
/ with this exception that, inaSnuch as fear
t have been expressed of the growth Of the onl.
large town in the State, its representation shal
never, under any circumstances, whatever ma.
, be its population, be large enough to prcudic
~. the rural portion of New Castle county, or q
d the State ut large This, then, is not an all
4 stlaction, but ii is provision for the future o.
# principle. The remedy for the present is dcnict
! The question now is will you deny il TO us 70
! the future
d The honorable gentleman from Murdclki
talked about quarrcls in New Castle county
q Sir, we have no quarlclS there as TO any pii
. ciple. We may differ, as other portions Of tn
J., Safe do rs TO the proper adjustment betwcc
@ different Hundreds, or different parts Of tn
n county, when we come to apply the principle.
o The gentleman further says, that lie is pei
y frctly willing to give New Castle county IL
n number of representatives for which She ask
If yet if | were to make that proposition, shoul
1t not get the gentlcman's vote. should not c!
1t pcct TO get the votes Of the members from Ken
x and Sussex, for a proposition TO give New ca
t. tic county, as county, all the Representative
10 to which her population entities her. If such
proposition were made to them, they migl
D we'll answer, il we give to you as a county N
ID only now but hereafter, whatever represent
1t ton your population may enttlc you TO- if
lc should so happen that you should contain Wit
D. in your limits a majority of the inhabitants
D. the State, YOU would have a majority i'll Il
er Legislature, and electing them BY the vote
OF the entire county, you would rule the rest
i'll the State That, admit, would be a reaso
q, able objection, but when Iproposc to give
I'd New Castle county, not what, as a county, 81
IL is entitled to, but 10 give to the men of Ne
to Castle county, your equals, no more, the sad
ex political and civil rights which you yourself
" enjoy, and when, at the same time, take ca
III 10 restrict the exercise Of county power by diN
mt ding each county into districts, what are Y
m told The answer is, that gentlemen from Ne
w Castle county must not come down here to i
in tcrlcre with Kent and Sussex. The langua
he used BY the gentleman from Murdcrkill wa
m that we wished to district Kent and Sussex ju
e- as we pleased. Would the effect Of my amen
by mcnt he to district them according to o
vc wishes On the contrary, it is expressly pr
sh vidcd that the districts shall be composed
i'll contiguous territory, that they shall contain.
ne nearly as possible, an equal number of inhab
of ants The districting, according to my amen