Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-03-10

but quasi corporation winch Is bat
creature Of the legislature, political
division of the state for the mere pur-
pose of local ADMINISTRATION and the con-
yenience of police regulations, can aud
should be administered upon the same
principles rs the body from which it re-
ceives its delegative powers. aa1 s. asi.7a
Now sir, what does this change pro-
pose? Take my own, county of Rock
with population of over 10000, divi-
de1 into five Assembly districts-based
upon an estimate of property and popu-
latiou---each Assembly district sends q
member.to the Legislature to manage
the affairs of the state as the county
board manages the affairs of the county.
Aud If it is safe and just in tho one case
why not in the other? Take the first
Ward of the city of GAINESVILLE with an
assessed valuation of over a million and
a half of dollars. Now take some rural
town 10 the county with pot moro than
one fifth the property or population
The two 60 into the County Board,
where money is to be raised and appro-
priated; where taxes are to be applied
and equalized; where measures are to
be adopted affecting the property and
people Of the entire county, and yet the
little one.fifth town has the same voice
as the city ward possessing five times
the property and population. And this
you call taxation with representation. =
Under the present system, the city of
Jauesvills has Que member in the County
Board. The city of Beloit. together
with the town Beloit, Turtle and New
ark have one member also-and this is
their representa- in the Legislature
based upon property aud population
Under the new system, GAINESVILLE has
four members, in the County Board,
while BeIoit and these other towns have
seven
Thus while GAINESVILLE stands as first
rate power in the Legislature. in ths
County Board she falls to second-rate
dependency. And yet the two bodies
leeislate upon precisely the same princi-
pIe@2the one for the state, the other for
the county. f4 ~
No, Mr.. President; ) there is nothing
representative, nothing democratic, moth,
ing republican about this proposed change
1t lisa representation BY confederacies.
1t is the old compliment paid in this
country by timid democracy TO monarch.
ial institutions, and by means of which
the little State of Rhode Island weighs
down ia the United States Senate the
great Empire State of New York
While this msy be tolerated in legisla
tive bodies, composed of two houses, the
one designed to review and revise the
proceedings of the other, it is never to be
thought of in n representative govern.
mens in a legislature composed of one
body and whose acts and proceedings
are final. -s.t s,..t ....v e,.a. "a :,
am told, sir, the votes have already
been counted by which this measure is
to be carried through. This can make
no difference with me. Until it can be
shown that there are irreparablo evils
under tho present system--that it is
more expensive aud less accurate in the
dispatch Of business, l for one am un
willing to depart, even in matters of To-
cal concern, from those plain and palpa
bic principles upon which all represen,
tative governments must rest. .a.
| am not ignorant of the fact that men
differ honestly upon this question, and that
even my own county is not unanimous
in regard to. it. ] have no desire to con-
tend for the mere form, so long rs the
general principal is preserved; and if the
friends of this bill would be satisfied
with bill No. l5o--providing for five
members for each county and one from
each Assembly district-while this would
not be exactly uniform, yet, being rs 'uni.
form as practicable l would go for it
most heartily. 'a a.1 3'7Ta@' ri