The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-01-28
THE ArPoRrtoNMENr.

u
This subject will doub bless occupy much
OF the attention OF the Legislature al the pres
ent session, and as our county and nsighbor.
hood ore much interested 10 il Especially in
view of past injustice) We propose to exam.
inc it al some length.
Senators aud Representatives are 10 be ap-
poriioned or distributed "amoug the city f
Philadelphia. and the several counties, ac-
-cording 10 The number of taxable Inhabitants
in each,H osery seventh year, in the man.
ner provided in the first article of the Consii.
mliou. As the last apporlionment act was
passed in 1850, another must be passed tho
present. year. nH
BY the consolidation oithe city and county
Of Philadelphia in 1854 a new feature is IN.
,rodoccd into, appoItionmenis.' The seventh
section first article Of the Constitution pro.
yides tbat nRo city or county shall be snli-
lied do elect more than four Senators" Phil
abelphia has now taxable population of
lo4,335. sufficient for five Senators and a
fraction Of about two thirds, as we maks The
calculation. But as she can be ,s,,oN ed ,,njy
fonr, The result is The, elsewhere in The State
the NUMBER of taxables required for Sena-
Tor will be less than if the city participated
eqeally in Senatorial representation. II The
whole number of Senators is fixed at thirty
three (lhe usual number) lhec a(ier allo,ling
four 10 PhiladeIphia, there will be twenty
nine TO distribute elsewhere. To fix the
Senatorial ratio therefore divide the tsxabes
Of the State, outside of the city, by twenty.
nine the quotienl will be the ratio, which
we make 10 be lille over 1900.
Dividing the whole number of taxa bles IN
lhe State by one hundred (ihe number OF
Representatives usually fixed upon) we make
the rao or number required for one Repre-
sentative, 10 be about six thousand. PhiIa-
deIphia will therefore get seventeen mem.
befs, which will be an increase of two over
her present number. An interesting ques-
iion here arises must the seventeen be
elected upon one ticket? Cannot the city
be divided into districts for The purpose OF
their election! We are clear in our opinion
tina, the city cannot be divided in any man.
ner for the election OF Representatives, under
the Constitution, although the evils Of elect
ing so many as seventeen members by the
same body of electors are manifest. The ar
gument against the existence Of such power
will be fouEd stated in the Journal OF the
Senate for 1850 Vol. l p. i'll, 10 the form OF
@ report from The Judiciary Comuti,tee oi
that body. The comni,ise was an able one
and the r~rer. .~s..ass- ahss.ds vshieia. II
is 10 be considered that the unbroken prac-
lice OF the government has been in accord
aacs with their views; that is, against The
division of the city or Of any county in the
';orma'ioh Of representative districts.
Fortunately, however, provision is made
for this, as well as many other difficulties,
in the constitutional amendments passed q,
the last session aud which il is hoped may
pass the present one and be approved by the
psofIs. The third amendment provides for
sae division of the city into Senatorial and
alter its adoption by the people go that bet
single election need lake place under the
arrangement Of elecliug seventeen members
on the same ticket.
In another respect that amendment will
have a happy operation. II will render il
possible TO avoid in iulure apporlionmenis
the Inconvenience and injustice which are
caused by constitutional Determinations be-
tween counties exielins before 1890 and
those counties created since. As the appor-
tonmeni 10 be made this winter must, how.
ever, be made without any reference 10 that
amendment, 1t is necessary 10 examine the
difficulty 10 which we allude.
The Constitution of 1870, Article lsi, Sec
ton 4, has this language Each county
shall have at least one representative but no
county hereafter erected shall be entitled 10
a sepsrals representation uEti a suficien,
number of taxable inhabitants shall bo con-
tanned within it 10 enliie them TO one repre-.
sentative agrsssbly to The ratio which shall
then be established" Conventions aud
Constitutions OF Pa, 297.) This provision
was moi changed by the Convention Of 1888,
aud. slanns ihs.sleIs n if no amendments
had been made. For The third section oil
,he schedule to The Amendments Of 1898, pro-
sider, that 'ilhe clauses, sections, and artl-
eles Of said Constitution WHICH remain nnai
tered shall continue 10 be cons'rned and
have effect as If The esid, ConstillR,on mad
no. been amendedms II Isl clear then that
each couniyin existence in..i7so must e<
allowed n, all times al least one representa-
live, whelhet il has sufficient number of
aaxables for that purpose or not, and that no
county esecied since 1870 can be allowed
representative until lis laxables are fully up
10 tho ratio required. /, follows, for instance,
that Militia with $500 taxables must be al
lowed representative, while one cannot be
allow ed 10 Blair with 5,ss5 Mifilin having
ben erected before 1890 aEc Blair since.
Bn, i, is TO be observed that a county nav
ing once attained toihe full ratio for memoef
may afterwards be allowed one siihoush iiS
taxables fall below the ratio. The cons,i,u-
uonal limitation is exhausted when county
lsrec,ed since i7so) has once attained 10
the ratio required ior il only defsfs sepa-
i !.