Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1854-01-28
Letter from Baton Rouge.
Special Correspondence of the Minerva
BATON ROUGE, January u,

Special Correspondence of the Minerva
BATON RouaE, January p, 1904.
DEAR MINERVA THE Wing members OF the
Joint Committee of the Senate to apporton the State INTO
Senatorial and Representative Districts, have done all
they could in Committee 10 keep your senatorial
ent it stands but, one Of the com'tee' MI
pueh was determined to detach Assumption and in order
tn mt his parish into more congenal District he moved
that Iaourcbe he united with st. Charles and to one
District with one Senator and Assertion, Assumption and
Terrebonne form another District with two Senator's 1t
isneedess to say that majority OF both Committees were
Democratic and the proposition to keep Assumption La
onrche and Terrebonne in District voted down.
The total population of the State is 5s5,34 Deducng
the population of the city of New Orleans
The number Of 1907 be divided by 81 provided for
in the 10th Article of the Constitution In constituting the
entire article decided by the Committee that if any
parish came within one-fth of the ratio Of Representa-
ton she entitled to be mnde District with one
Senator The ratio being l601 the parishes OF Plaque
mne ST. Bernard and the right bunk Of Orleans make
the nearest approximation and form the First District
then comes Jefferson with population Of 1859 and
makes the Second District the parishes OF st. John ana
st. James making aggregate of 1876 oil popuaton
forms the Third District and, Ascension Assumption anu
Terebonne. with aggregate Of 3d. 57 form the Fourth
and Lafourche and ST. Charles with an aggregate OF
form the Fifth 1t was proposed in Committee that the
marshes Of ST. Charles st. sohn, St. James and Ascension
be formed into District with two senators outt"
objected the ground that the constitutions excess
the real ntenton-the aggregate of the fou' parishes
IS, 492 would have made good double Dtict ana iI
Assumption, Laonrche and Trrebonne District az It now
stands. 1t then moved that Lnfourche ana Iefre
bonnie be formed to District and its adotl"n urged
ground that the two parishes make essentially one
people in sentiment and social position pht aa no
suit the ideas Of the Committee aud was voted down.
Now politically speking the arrangement IS GOOD one
for our party for don't believe that Assumption mas
benefited herself The least in asknE
that is it will into action the dormant energies o.
the Wings of Terre.onne and will roll up such political
majority upon Ascension will crush the small excess OF
Democracy Assumption and thereby secure two wing
Senators. tsHt II. tt334F''9- 80
The chief objection of putting St. Charles and La
fourche together is the impossible swamp between those
parishes and the utter ignorance of one parish with the
inhabitants Of the other and the difficulty of forming con
venions for the expression OF public opinion was as
to both Houses Tuesday next. The upper Districts
have altered considerably, but viii retain about the
same political complexion they now have The minority
of both Comeesare about getting up minority report
which you will see . -"
About the matter Of the draining Of our low lands and
diminishing the quantity OF the water in your 'you
wrote you few days since that Williams had offered
resolution have Engineer sent Immediately to make
survey in order TO have some reliable data upon whcn
base the approp that will be asked for well as the
most certain and efectuai method of doing the Work
The State Engineer cannot 60 himself but he is heartily
with the Lafourche legation in everything they wish to
have done and last evening he informed that he had
elcgraphed to the City for Phelps 10 come here ana
structns for the survey and that he received reply na
he Phelps) would he here to-day. The Legislature WILL
without doubt receive his report in time to get something
done. ''- r.
In regard to the ratio Of in the Lower
House, it fixed in Committee at 65O3, as the amount
of population emitting parish parishes to one Repre-
sentative. This obtained by dividing the whole popl-
luton by co. the half fraction being ESQ., under the 10Th
Article Of the Constitution. This will give Assumption
Representatives Lsfou che two, and Terebonne I've"
makes the number Of Representatives 95 There was
proposition made in Committee to mike the number IS,
but this would cut down the number OF
from the City, and would have cut down your parish to
one and given Assumption tsco The country members
couldn't stand that and in spite Of the increase in the
City, they voted for the larger it equazes
in better way the Representation Of the larger parishes
and neutrazes somewhat the weight Of Representation
from the smaer parishes Of which there are sev nieen
below the ratio proposed in Committee. which are
entitled to each under the 9Th Article OF
the Constitution. More anon, - ASHLAND