Middletown transcript., 1875-01-23

} compare her present representation. pop
ulation and resources with those of tn
4 other counties. ... s,j..',.s u,
/ By reference to the Federal Censu
Of 1870 it appears that the population
Of New Castle county was sixty-thre
thousand, Eve hundred and fifteen (63,
1 5l5), of Kent county twenty nine thou
sand. eight hundred and fopr (29. .S04)
and Of Sussex county thirty-one thou
sand, six hundred and ninety-six (31i
4 696) thus showing that she population
j Of the former was greater than that 0
I the two latter combined sdiaos .siA,,
by the same -csnsus- -it-appsars-tha
the, assessed value freal, eslste in New
Castle county was as great, and th'
assessed value Of personal property NOR.
thai, three times a., great g, that of ths
otksf twdo u cc6dahhtisss cdh Il tb combined ana this,
she3psid more Ahan. twice the amount o
taxes ta1ss paid BY both ofser. Of them together fOl
State purppsesNt9 3g'rT
Also her total Of annual wages paid
ID farming operations and the tota
value Of all her farm productions, re-
spectiveiy., we're quite 'eqdsl to- the agr
gsegate totals respectively upaid orpro-
ducsd By both Kent'ahd Sussex.
In the mechanical and manufacturine
industries, the capital ,iinv1sss,..sd, 1ss I'd the
wsgssspaid,a and the 'value Of the srti-
Giles produced, respectively .ss.are At
least seG times more aipIo New Castle
county than ia ID. Kent and Sussex eonna
ties combined i isqsq sls14'ii &
+. And yet. with this great dispropor-
itiSn ofpopulation and taxabis PROPERTY,
the legislative representation Of THAT
county il equal only 70 that Of each d
she other counties. while other city d
Wiimipg.od, with 4 ! population greater
than that Of either Kent or .Sassex
county. has never had afepressntativs
q, ,her. vast local Interests in both houses
of the General ,AssemblylatI the same
t;mas iaessra y iieis'a e2i5sioa l'ff s'si'l
'''iio. Iafssg aNF a7vn ia .
When ourl State copztitutios Of 1892,
(which established thspresent spportion-
ment between the three, counties, was
framed, the population Of each Of them
was nearly equal in Auumbets; That Of
New Castle being nineteen thousand.
six. hundred and eighty six (l9. .680:O of
Kent eighteen thousand. nine hundred
and twenty (1s.92O),, and Of Sussex
twenty thousand, Northumberland
eighty-eight (2o. 1885, -e,s@s $50 s.s ...4
It is. therefore. reasonable topresume
that, at this early apsriod oflour State
history, It was designed that the ratia
Of representation should be in general
accord With popdlatios.I = Z 81
. Even 20 late as rhe adoption pf the
Constitution Of 1881, the disparity be-,
tween the populations Of the respective
counties wss not 30 important a. 70 oc-l
casion any pressing need, TOR a change
in the established apportionment Of
1792. z'as'i ~ . 'l0s 'po 10, naa sso aso
But within comparatively recent
period the increase of thso population Of
the city ofeWiIhfngtcn" = has: = entirely
oyerthrown. the numerical equality
which previously existed between the
several counties and thasspecsssitated q
change ip that apportiobmept ~ W =
Whether this change shall be esupon
the basis Of population alone, Aad 70 the
full extent Of that priseiple, is worthy
Of grave consideration =, -, esa ga az az 4
s To my lniud, in, view off, al the Pc.
culiar cirsamstsncss surtUunding the,
,qaestion in this State, the sadoptios Dfi
'sdth ga /" ruiz. psrticniarly5 fots,Bpth
branches Of the Legislature. would be,
assunsound in principle q it would
prove detrimental 10 practise zaaoa, Il
ssWHsp Oer carly Constitutions. recog7
Mining population as the bssis ofssepre-
sentation, were adopted, no great center
Of population existed in % our State But
with the rapid growth of Wilmington
in recent years this isnno rlongernthc
BSisJlSk wonA sIaaus hin ikJAhklss.
in small State like ouis, to accord /
representation in full proportion to pop
ulatiou toia growing city whose inhabi.!
tants might quickly outnumber all the
other people ofths State aolasir'"a' a,
y To doeso, would be to enable a city
to overshadow and control not only the
codnty ID which it might be situated,
but also the entire State. spas ths0Rgh
its particular representatives, to favor
and. foster its special and local interests
At the expense Of all other localities.
Besides, it would disregard that dis.
sincticn' bsswee9ss an ,usbs!n {. ajdl lsIfsrah
which has always been recog-
Missed BY all prAe.int tPsstprrr ir pre-
scribiug a just rule 'of Tsprssspassasa
, So vsllsssttled lis this 5istipctiep that
It may BE- safely ssssrteda that ID no.
State Legislature in ID the Union is repre-
sentssion accorded in fsLpfotofkpp to
Urban populated. !. So ais afi ...'';J J3Jh
j. II would therefore. IiesH that THE
rulein question. il adopted in this State,
should be applied with such wholesome 4
2 8 asAlf fLG AZ x.ff..aO -