New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-04

Of Elections, and allowing them 10 give their votes,
if they chose, in their own towns, for Governor and
Assistants, and to send them, sealed up, BY the
hand Of their deputies. Thuc it was that the FIRST
meeting Of the Spring session Of the Representative
General Court Of Massachusetts-the two annual
meetings of that body being perpetuatea by the
Charter Of King William. and also by the original
State Constituton-came to constitute that great
old Massachusetts festival of Lection Day" still
great and glorious in the memories OF the aged
though the only relic of it familiar to the present
generation is that compound known in New-En-
gland as Lection-cake-yery plain. economical and
republican, compared with pOund-cake and other
such English Injuries but still to unsophsticated
tastes sufficiently palatabe, andwthal very whole
some.
The first House of Representatives Of Massa-
chusetts which met on the Gath Of May, 1854, was
composed of twenty -four members being three from
each of the towns of Boston, Charlestown, Rox-
bury, Newtown (now Cambridge WATERFOWL,
Ssgus NOW Lynn, and Salem, which eight towns
now all Of them, except Watertown, popalous
cities then constituted together with three or four
other plantations too inconsiderable to have been
vet recognized as towns the infant Commonwealth
of Massachusetts,. This practice of town represen-
tation thus introduced has continued to be perse-
vered in, though with certain notifications, down
to the adoption of the Constitutional amendment
Of which we spoke at the commencement of this
article. By the State Constitution as adopted
in 17s4, each incorporated town having one
hundred and fifty ratable polls or less was
to be entitled TO one representative; but
no town was to be thereafter incOrpor
ated unless il had that number Of ratable polls and
for each additional two hundred and twenty-five
rstable polls in any town an additional representa-.
tive might be chosen. This gave at the time OF the
adoption of the Constitution House Of some two
hundred members. But with the increase in the
population and in the number of towns, the posi-
bic number sweed up to near or quite thousand,
though, as many of the towns neglected to exercise
their right or their full right, the House seldom
exceeded half that number
Some relief from this excess was afforded by the
separation of Maine in 1920, and its erection into
separate State; but with the great increase in the
population of Boston and other large towns, the |
number soon again became excessive. Many pro- |
iects were preached for reducing it, but as the |
small towns stuck desperately to their ancient in
herited right Of town representation, while the |
large towns insisted upon representation in pro-
portion to their population, it was found exceed |
ingly difficult to hit any plan acceptable to both
parties, or able TO command the necessary two |
thirds vote in the Legislature, which, twice re-
peated. is essential in Massachusetts, to the sub.
mission of constitutional amendments to the people.
At last however, in 1885, an amendment was |
adopted BY which | 200 inhabitants were required
to entite to one representative, while double that
number was required for each additional represen-
tative, towns having less than 200 inhabitants
being entitled to elect a representative as many
times in ten years as their population was diyisible
by the number 100, with an extra representative
once in ten years, when the State valuation to
be settled; or these small towns might, if they
pleased, form themselves into representative dis
tricts these districts to have the representa-
tive rights with towns of q similar population.
This arrangement still gave House of between
three and four hundred members. liable to be in |
with the increase of population. To pre-
vent that increase provision was adopted in 1910,
in anticipation OF the census of that year, ncreas
ing BY one tenth the several numbers above men,
toned whenever the population of the State should
have reached 10000, to which increase was to be
added still another tenth for every increase in the
total population of7O,OO0. Gradually, however, the |
strong prejudices in favor Of town representation
have disappeared. The amendment just adopted |
provides for the election of $50 representatives by
listrcts-these districts however, to be composed |
Of entire towns or in the Of cites BY entire
wards.
Those who happened to read in our columns the
,ther day Dr. Frederic A. Rosss characteristic and
nhrnsa - The stnltifed distractions and