The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-01-10
= ChanGe in tIae ApportiOnment
Law.

We are gratisied Senator Carter's reso-
luton passed the Senate unanimously,
for the appointment CT a committee to
inquire into the practicability of chang
ing the Apportionment Law, so as to al
low to each county, at least one Repre-
sentative. 1t remains to be acted upon
by the House, and We have every conf
dence that it will be adopted by that
body. There was no villainy perpetrat
ed by the Radical party, which was more
justly and deservedly denounced by the
Democracy, than the'wrong which this
movement is designed to remedy. 1t
was perpetrated originally to deprive the
white counties of an equal voice in the
Legislature, and to confirm the carpet
baggers and their allies, in the possession
Of the State Government. This wrong
the Democratic party stood pledged to
repair, whenever it obtained power. 1t
stood pledged to restore the time honored
feature Of our State government to allow
every county at least one Representative
to take care Of its interests in the law
making department of the government.
At the first session of the Legislature
this important subject was postponed for
the consideration of other matters; but
the time has now come when longer de
lay will be dangerous.
The election for members of the Leg
islature will take place next fall; and il
IS the imperative duty of the Legislature
at its present session to amend the APP
portionment Law so as to secure represen-
tation to the unrepresented counties in
the next Legislature. These counties
are thoroughly Democratic. They can
be relied on in every emergency. They
were solid as rocks to the faith when the
waves Of Radicalism swept like deluge
over the State They were true in the
past: they VIII be true in the future in
every emergency; and duty and patriot
ism and solemnly plighted faith demand
ihat this measure Of justice should no
longer be deferred The present appor-
tionment Is unconstitutional. 1t is a
fraud and and hideous villainy, and
the Democracy cannot longer tolerate its
most oJious provisions without becoming
in measure responsible for them. We
will not go go into a detailed statement
Of its workings. They are familiar to all.
Take Jackson county, for instance. She
has a voting population Of from 1900
to 2000, and yet she and Harrison,
whose numbers of voters are nearly, if
not quite as numerous, have but one
one Representative between them, while
Kinds and Marshall (for example) with
from 5000 to 6 600 voters have four
REPRESENTATIVES each, and Warren with
about the same voting population, nag
five Representatives. These are but in
stances Of the workings Of the present
iniquitous system. Now what We ask
and what the people demand of the
Legislature Is that it will amend the
apportionment system to the extent at
least of securing to each one of the oonn-
ties unrepresented, voice in the Legis-
lature through representative of its
choice. The Constitution admits of one
hundred and twenty Representatives.
There are now butone hundred and fifteen,
and when the white counties which were
coupled together, and dwarfed in their
representation by the Radicals for parti-
san purposes, are accorded one Repre-
sentative each, the prescribed maximum
will barely be attained.