Litchfield enquirer., 1873-11-20
Constitutional Reform.

We dosnot wish to weary our readers
 with prolix discussions regarding a sub.
 lect in which so few of them are taking
 any inteFest, but the question of consti-
 tutionai reform will certainly be prom
 lnent feature in next springs campaign,
 and we may expect it to figure largely,
 also, in the politics of the State for years
 to come. During the past week repre-
 sentative of the New Haven News has
 been interviewing prominent men in the
 western part of the state to see what the
 feeling may be, here, regarding the call
 ing of. convention. Messrs. Woodruff
 and Andrews, of this town, both opposed
 It. Senator Ferry was very strongly op-
 posed to any change in the present repre-
 sentation of towns in the lower House.
 We see, too, that the Bridgeport Standard
 sets down that city as being entirely in-
 different to the project. We may regard
 the movement, therefore, as being con-
 fined, almost entirely as yet, to New Ha- ven county, with some few prominent ad- herents elsewhere. The general consent which seemed about to be given to the calling of a convention, eight or ten months since, is retracted in every direc- ton.
 FayoriDg as we do the calling of con- vention, it is needless to say that we re- gret the unfortunate turn matters are taking. We regret, too, that there are indications that this Reform movement may become a party matter, with the De- mocracy favoring a convention and the Republicans opposing it. We should re- gret this for the double reason that we should be obliged to differ with our Re publican friends, and that it would be a question regarding which a mistake on their part might lead to a very disastrous result That result would be the district ing the State for the lower House under Democratic auspices. At last springs election the only city we carried in the State, if we recalled aright, was Norwich. New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, Wa terbury, New London, Meriden and Mid dletown all went against us. With an as- tendency in these cities Democratic ap- portioning committee could easily so ar range matters as to secure a large majori- ty in the lower House even with the pop ular vote against them in the State. Ger rymandering" is one of the two great evils of the district system. The other is its neglect of the rights of minorities. With all our cities gerrymandered in the interest of Democracy, and with minori- ties still Ilnrepresented, Connecticut Re publicanism would be in a sorry plight.
 Of course our Republican friends will answer that, with the present overwhelm- ing preponderance of opinion against any interference with our existing system of town representation, there is no reason to think the state will be districted. We must beg them to consider on what un- stable ground that opinion rests. Connecti- cut IS tagging behind nearly all the other states in her adherence to an old, made quate, and unjustssystem of representa- tion Massachusetts, the leading state in New England, has long since abandoned 1t. The injustice of putting the hundreds of Union on @ par with the tens of thous- ands of New Haven is too gross to be hid den by the most ingenious sophistry. When Mir. Calhoun maintained that our Union was mere Confederation of States he had at least some show of legal and historical argument for his theory. Sen ator Ferry has no such basis for his mo- tion that Connecticut is mere Confeder- ation of Towns. We shall all agree with him in wishing to preserve the town it's present right of self elf-government; but luck fly that does not necessarily involve the injustice of giving the town of thous- and inhabitants as many representatives as the town of fifty thousand inhabitants. No party can long maintain position so as that, against serious attack; and we hope the Republicans of this State will commit no snch political blun- der. The District system, however, they ought, and are able to oppose successful ly. That enemy's gun they can spike with Minority Representation.