Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-04-20
From IN. New Albany Tribune.
Apportionment Bills.

"H-
The constitution provides that SEN
ators and Representatives shall be APP
portioned among the several counties,
according to the number of white male
Inhabitants above twenty-one years of
age in each. To give the whole State
fifty Senators and one hundred Repre-
sentatives, viii require a rata Of a.
200 polls for a senator, and 2, 100 for
a Representative. tsi5 -ssri ni -sf
Let US look little now into the
merits Of the Senate bill, which Mr..
Norman says is fair and eguifa6e.-l
And we will call attention. FIRST to some
of the Senatorial districts. Remem.
Der that the ratio for Senatori is o.
200 polls. The counties of Vigo.
Sullivan and Clay are thrown togeth-
or for one district, having an aggregate
Of 7,05s polls. The single county of
Johnson is made Senatorial district.
with only 2,487 polls. The county Of
Shelby, which hes alongside of John
son, is also made q senatorial district.
with 1894 polls. 1.-THE counties Of
Johnson and Shelby (both democrat
ic) were each entitled to Senator,
why was it that vigo, with her 81
334 polls, was not also given a Sena-
tor? Why she was strong anti.
democratic county, and il was neces-
sary to hitch on two strong democrat.
ic counties to overpower her, aud Sc
cure the election Of a democratic SEN
ator In that district. Why not make
one Senatorial district of johnson and
Shelby--and thus put them on an
equal footing with Wayne, with her
5.388 polls? Everybody knows the
reason. And yet this iswhat is cali
cd fair and equitable. q e@
Again the single county of Law
renee, with only s23l polls, is given
Senator; while the county of La
porte, with her 5o27 polls, for Sen.
ator. Why this difference? Law.
renee Is democratic county, while
the other three arc anti democratic, or
fusion. ! II fairness WAS what tie y were
after, why did they not put Lawrence
and Jackson together for Senator
They lie Immediately contiguous, and
would have made district with
only 4453 polls. less by 100 than
Laporte district; and less by 1900 than
the district comdosed Of Wabash and
Miami, two strong fusion Counties
The fact Is, il Jackson and Lawrence
should be put together, they would
loose one democratic Senator--andth that
was sacrifice not to be thought Of for
a moment.
Again, the counties of DeleNere,
Grant. and Blackiord, with an aggre-
gate of 5409 polls. are joined together
for Senator; while the counties Of
Monroe and Brown, with 3434 polls are
given the same representation in the
Senate.
We might go on aud enumerate 9TH
er cnormities, so far as the Senate ap.
portionmcnt is concerned. But we
have perhaps said enough to Salty ev-
cry intelligent mind as to its fairness
and equity. A word or two now as to
the Representative district.
The FIRST great objection that strikes
our mind is, that the bill provides for
only 90 Representatives instead Of 100
doubtless an oversight in the party
that drew il up. aI f1a
The second objection is. that the
representation is not equally distrib-
uted bstwecn the northern and south
ern portions OF the State, according TO
population-the counties north OF
the National road not having their
distributive share, 10 which they are
entitled.
The third objection is that 1t gives
to Floyd county, with her 3,547 polls,
but one Representative, while Sullivan
county, with her 2,06o, has two.
The fourth objection is that there is
not the first blush Of fairness in the
whole thing; presenting, rs II does, a
series Of political inequalities from be-
ginning to end. Let US look at some
Of these.
It will be noticed that the following
four Democratic counties, elect each
two Representatives in 1856 and
1860, the years when Senator'S in
Congress are 10 be elected, and one
each. in 1858 when no u. s. Senator Is
to be elected;