Delaware State reporter., 1853-04-26

was then arcsdcnt in the county of Kent, ard
was beyond all question the principal flainer Of
our present Constitution for saying that if that
question had then been presented by the ntn-
bers from New Castle county. lie would rct
have hesitatcd a moment in acceding TO tic
principle of representation in proportion to
population. aludc TO the present distm-
guishcd senator from the State of Delaware, my
colleague in the Senate (the Hon. j. NJ. CLAY
ToNl. lie has said to me that he considered
the principle undcniable; that he so stated to
the Wing members of the Convention of 1881 Il,
and that if it had been asked for he would have
felt bound to yield to it.
In the progress of time since that Convention,
over twenty years have passed away, and we
find by the last census of the United States that
this inequality has Lccome crcccdiag1y prt at,
and, therefore. the practical application of the
principle becomes important. May not trust
to the sense Of Justice Of those members who are
elected by the lower counties under the organi-
cation of the Convention. that the principle be-
ing undeniablc, they will carry it out in prac-
tice, If it can be carried out SO as to do what I
consider q great benefit TO the Sta.c-dcstroy,
now and forever, all county feeling in reference 10
S;atelegislation. propose to do this by dividing
the State into districts so that the representative
may be responsible to his constituents within
the particular district, which will necessarily
bring into the legislature men Of both parties
from different sections of the Safe, and WILL in
its operation, entirely destroy county jealousy,
which, in a State so small as ours can have
nothing but an injurious ard dcctericus eject,
which can produce no possible good: for the man
lives not who can point out to me even the SEM
blance of a contraliety of material interests be-
tween any one portion Of this State and another
No man can. show me that any motive Exists,
or can exist, on the part of q; resident of f1onc
portion of the State, to pass laws dcpriying ana!
other portion Of any of their rights. | have
heard It suggested that possibly apprchcnsions
might he entertained by gentlemen from Sussex
county, that that portion of property which they
hold to greater extent than we do might be
endangered if this alteration were made. l
have offered one amendument, which will pre-
vent even the possibility ofs,langer from this
source, which, at best, | r5Seye to be but a
vague apprehension. | will not say that there
are not fanatical individuals in New Cas- lc
county who would do this | could find them
there; and could find men in the counties Of
Sussex and Kent, as we'll as in New Castle,
who would deprive men of certain description
of property, on their notions of justice or alb
stract right. But spcak. of New Castle county
as people, when | say, that in my iudg-
ment, such proposition could not receive their
sane ion. The possibility of that, however, is
guarded against by one ofmy amendments.
My object is, as my plan proposes, to adopt
the great principle for the present, and for future
time, that the representation in the Legislature
of the STATE, shall be in proportion to population.
and that the State shall be so arranged that
Senators and Representatives shall be elected
by Single districts. Nor, from the necessity Of
the case and the want of adequate returns in
the last census to make the division, | am
obliged in tive, and only in two cases, to cmbody
double Senatorial representation. expect,
by means of the district system, to entirely put
an end to any county jealolisly or county feel
ings, which may have hitherto existed, because
those feelings are baSeless in themselves and
there is no one interest which should induce a
member from one county of this SAFE 10 pass u
law operating iniuriously upon citizens residing
in other counties. ! except to show that the
inequality of what | have spoken, is very
great, for am not u man to raise abstract qncS-
tions where there is no practical evil; but VIXEN
a practical evil does exist and the principle be-
comes important, | am one who will never, under,
any circumstances, iccedc from it. If the prin-
cipc is undenied, will cndcavor to show how
unjust it would I've not to adopt the basis of
representation according 10 population, ao,r ];
and will cndcavor to convince this committee
and think | can do so, that the plan which
have presented has been drawn UP under the
influence Of no feeling connected with party
organization, and no feeling of hostility or
.iealouSy,o or injustice, towards any portion Of the
State.
Sir, by the census Of 1850 the population of
this State consisted of 81 ,5}2 persons all told.
| might on my principle have urged the pro-
pricty of representation in proportion To free
mh,te population; but on the whole, thought it
might be as well to take the basis of the popu-
lation generally, though should have no obicc-
ton, of course, to the free white basis. The
whole population amounts to what | have
stated. 1t is distributed between the three
counties in this way. There are in New Castle
42,7S0 people In Kent, 22,Sl6. And in Sus-
sex, 25,93G making difference between the
population of that district which is called New
Castle county and both the other districts com.
bncd called Kent and Sussex, all composed of
citizens of the same State, of but 5,975. When
we turn to Hc maHe population there is still
greater discrepancy. In the county of New
Castle there are 34,I65 free whites. In Kent,
l60S4. And in Sussex, 20,320 leaving but
l,G39 more white persons in the counties of Kent
and Sussex together than there are in the
county of New Castle alone.
Now, sir, if am right in my principle, if as a
citizen of this State, am, according to the prin-
ciple of your government, entitled to the same
civil and political rights as amy Other citizen,
(and that principle, | presume, will not he
denied, can any gentleman tcllmc why, because
| happen to reside north or south Of a given
line, those rights should he diminished or aided
to one half Can any gentleman defend it on
principle! If you cannot take away from the
citizen his equality Of civil and political rights =
and without the political right the civil right is
ALWAYS inSecure-on what basis is il that Won
can say, because Il man is now living in the
county of New Castle, he shall have but one half
the political rights which he would have if he
removed over the line into the county Of kcnt
Yet such is the. practical effect OF the present
organization of the present Legislative depart.
ment, and the proposition Of the committee is,
to give to New Castle county merely an allow
ance Of three additional members which does
not even approximate to the principle. My
Judgment is, that when there is distinct appa
rent principle which is undcniablc, every man
ought to be willing to carry it out practically,
as far as it can be carried ont. For the purpose
of carrying out the principle, | tried great
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