Litchfield enquirer., 1873-04-24

1t will be seen from the foregoing ta- bles that although about five-sevenths of the entire Republican vote of the State is cast west of the river, the Republicans east of the Connecticut have majority of the Republican representatives. What IS still worse, nearly three-quarters of the western Republican vote is cast in minority towns, so that, this year, of our fifty two western representatives forty four arc elected by 7,034 Republican votes m majority towns; and only eight scatter ing, accidental representatives were cho- sen by the twenty thousand republicans unlucky enough to'liye in minority towns. Owing to various controlling local issues minorities have more representation than usual, this year, yet the fact that the Re- l publican minorities west of the river con- stitute more than half the entire Repub- lican party of the State, and yet have less than one thirteenth of it's representation in the House, shows how outrageous is the misrepresentation to which we are sub- ! jected. ......
 ] Scanning these mlsr6presented minori- ties more carefully, we find that 5151 Re- publicans of Fairfield county have no representative that 6O19 Republicans of Hartford county west of the river have one; and that a smaller number of Republi- cans east of the Connecticut have nearly sixty Over seven-eighths of the Repub- hcans of New Haven county, four-ffths of the Republicans of Hartford county (west, and three-quarters of the Repub, licans of Fairfield county, reside in towns in which they are in a minority. These minorities have no regular representation
 Nevertheless the objection that is made tc representation of city populations lies only against the foreign vote that forms the strength of the Democratic party ill oul cities, and not against the city Republi. cans who are almost all native Americans Still less can any reason be given why country minorities should be misrepre. sented.as is now. the case, except that they always have been so misrepresented. '.nI
 We're the ascendency of the Republican party in Connecticut dependent on the system that throws the preponderance of our representation east of the river, there might be party reason for the continued misrepresentation of western Republicans. We do not believe that that plan is pecil- liarly favorable to the Republican party, Granting representation to city maiorities without relieving their large misrepre. sented Republican. Ininorities would, in. deed, be bad party policy, as we'll as atro. ciously uniust.l Give Republican minori . ties, however, fair representation, and the Democracy would have smaller maiorities in the large cities than the present system gives them. rT ] aaFa } I'or ,'u: ai- ..lr
 While we do not wish to stir up sec. tional. feeling, we cannot but think that the manifestly unjust advantage which Eastern Connecticut now has in represen. tation demands a remedy. We claim too, that the non-represented and misrepre. sented Republicans in Western Connect. cut are special sufferers from that injustice. A constitutional convention, therefore, m which all the Republicans of all the State were fairly represented, would un doubtedly do us justice. But will con
 vention in which town maiorities only; and not minorities, are represented, ia vor such a reform? Let us have convention, then; to which each towr shall send as many representatives as they now send to the House but allow minor ities cumulative voting, so that in eacl town sending two representative, minori
 ties shall have one, leaving majoritie' to misrepresent only such towns as send single representatives.