Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-19

that OF Kent and Sussex counties, of late Years
has nece ssitated an increase of the repres enta
tion OF that county in the General Assembly 10
the protection and promotion OF it's various III
| terests.
SO urgent has tho necessity for this become
and 30 decided the current OF public sen.imHn
in its favor, that fair adjustment OF the pres
ent inequality should no longer be postpon ed.
l, therefore, feel it to be my duty, on this oc
caslon, to advert to the subject and to urge earl,
apd favorable action upon It,
To fully appreciate the for and Justice ol
the claim of New Castle COUNTY to ali Increase
| OF representation in the Gene Al Assembly. il IL
necessary to compare her p' sent reproeenta
| ton, population and resource with thoee Of the
other countless
By reference to the Fedcr Il Census of 1871
| it appears that the population OF New Castle
County was sixty-three thou md, live hundred
and fifteen (63, OF Ken County twenty
| nine thousand, eight hundred and four (2D SOD
and of Sussex county thirty me thousand, sis
hundred and ninety-six (3l6I6) thus showing
| that the population of the 70 mer was greater
| than that OF the two latter combined
| BY the same census it appears that tho as
seseed value Of real estate in New Castle County
| was as great, and the assesse value OF personal
property more than three times as great as thut
| OF the other two counties combined, and tia.
| she paid more than twice the amount OF taxes
paid by both of them together for State pur.
poses
Also her total of annual wages paid in farming
/
productions respectively, were quite equal b.
| the aggregate totals, respectively, paid OF pro-
duced by both Kent and Sussex
| In the mechanical and manufacturing indus.
| tries, the capital invested the wages paid, and
| the value of the articles produced, respe ttivey
were at least ten times more in New Castl4
| County than in Kent and Sussex Counties com
| bned
And yet, with this great disproportion of pop
ulation and taxable property, the Legislative rep
| resentaton of that county is equal only to that
| of each of the other counties while the city OF
| Wilmington, with population greater than that
or either Kent or Sussex County, has never had
a representative of her vast local interests in
both houses of the General Assembly ut the
same time.
When our State Constitution OF 1892, which
established the present appor ionment between
the three counties, was framed, the population
of each of them was nearly luai in numbers
That of New Castle being nine teen thousand siA
hundred and eighty-six Q9,6S), OF Kent, eigh-
teen thousand nine hundred and twenty us 920
| and of Sussex, twenty thousand four hundred
and eighty-eight GO, ,48S.)
1t ID, therefore, reasonable to presume that
at this early period of our State history, it was
designed that the ratio of representation should
be ln general accord with population.
Even 80 late as the adoption of the Constitu-
ton of 1881, the disparity between the popula-
tions Of the respective countts was not SO i'm
portant rs to occasion any pre- sing need for II
change in the established apportionment OF
1892.
But within comparatively recent period tho
increase of the population Of the city of Will
mineton has entirely overthrow the numerlcgl
equality which previously existed between the
several counties and thus neceastated change
i'll that apportionment.
Whether this change shall be upon the basis
of population alone, aud to the full extent Of
that principle, is worthy of grave consideration
To my mind, in view Of all the peculiar circnm-
stances surrounding the questo in thls State,
tI.n 20 I.,I.,
both branches of the Legislature, would be as
unsound in principle as it would prove detii-
mental in practice.
When our early Constitul ons, recognizing
population as the basis of rep esentation, were
adopted, no great center of POI nlation existed in
our State. But with the rapid growth of vii
mngton in recent years this il 10 longer the
case. 1t would be exceeding ly unwiae, in a
small State like ours, to accord representation III
full proportion to population t. II growing city
whose inhabitants might quickly outnumher all
the other people of the State.
To do so, would be to enable n city to over
shadow and control not only the county IN
which it might be situated, but also the entii.
State, and, through its particular representa-
tives, to favor and foster its special and local
interests at the expense of all other localities.
Besides, it would disregard that distraction
between an urban and II rural population wl,lcn
has always been recognized by all practical
statesmen in prescribing just rule OF represeil-
tation.
So well settled i'll this distinction that ii may
be safely asserted that IN no State l.egirla, uie
in the Union IL representation accorded in full
proportion to urban population.
1t would, therefore, seem that the rule i'll
question, il adopted i'll this State, should be ap-
piled with such wholesome publications. and
limitations as would not suffer as city, OF III
deed any county, to oyeishadow and control the
rest of the State.
With these considerations borne in mind there
appears no sufficient reason why fair and rea-
sonable increase of representation shoul not
be accorded to New Castle County
In making such increase it would seem most
advisable to contne it to the House OF Rcple-
sentatives leaving the Senate WITH All equal rep
resentation from each county as at present.
This would recognize the principle of terri
torial representation, as well as tat Of popnla-
ton, and would establish II conservative CHECK
upon the popular branch of the Legislature.
1t would harmonize with the long settled habit
of considering each county as of equal dignity
in respect to territorial represe itation, and 10
allay any sectional prejudice ur feeling winch
might otherwise be arrayed aga n-t the project.
Among the various plans for ifectlng the de-
sired result, there are two wElch seem most
practicable. First, by division of New Castle
County into two separate countce, thus making
four counties in all, each having representation
III both branches OF the Legislature. Second, ly
reasonable addition to the pc cent Representa-
ton of Now Castle County, cout ID wth the dis
trict system, so that each dstric, -hnll vote oi
for the representatives of its pa scular local IL
terests.
This would introduce the plicipe Of local
representation and at the san time conine
the influence of a large city l. aulition wltuin
its proper limits.
To accomplish either of thesr plans it seems
that Constitutional amendiu nt will DO ie-
quired, to be adopted by a Coz. titutoual Con-
vention, or to be proposed by o-thirdT of each
House of the General Assemb with the appro-
batio of the Governor, and IN fled by three
four tbs of each branch of the rext succeeding
Legislature after having been dliy published for
the consideration of the people
Hence iU would appear to be impossible to
cure the desired increase by the action of sill
gle Legislature. For, although he present Gen
eral Assembly may by law, witt the concurrence
Of two thirds of each branch tAereof, increase
their whole number by an equal addition to
each county, yet it is at least Goubtfn whether
they can add to one county alone without grant
ing corresponding increase to each Of the 9TH
ers.
Wherefore, it seems to me that both necessi-
ty and true policy require that eiter the first
the second plan l have suggested should be
adopted.
The proposed division of Nuw Castle county
would require change in the judicial system
of the state, and the construction of the proper
county buildings for one of the new counties re-
sulting from such division.
On the other hand, reasonable addition of
representation to New Castle comfy, in connec.
tin, wifi, the ltstrict syatpnl ynul6 Ina nrapt-