The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-20

injustice was done to the Southern Dis
trict; and although the number of SEN
ators varied from five to nine. and three APP
portionment bills were passed the sole
object OF the Legislature was to preserve
the ratio as nearly as possible.
The second Constitution, which went into
cflcct on July /. 1922 divided the state into
eight Senatorial Districts each Of which was
entitled to four Senator's one to be- elected
each year. Tho First District embraced the
counties Of New York, Kings, Queens, Rich
mond, and Suffolk, and contained, according
to the census OF 1890, 1s6,i77 inhabitants.
The State had population OF ,372, III, and.
after excluding aliens and untaxcd negroes,
the apportonmcnt was perfectly just and
equitable. by the act of May 49, 1876, Queens
and Suffolk were detached from the First
District, and New York, Kings, and Rich
nond, with an aggregate population Of 3Os,-
lO7, were allowed four Senator's. The state
at that time contained 2,17i,jl7 inhabitants.
Under the third Constitution which became
operative on Jan. /, ls47, the grand divisions
of the state were abolished. thrty-two Sen
ate districts were created. and the term Of
Senators was reduced from four years to two
| years. The Constitution awarded to New
York four Senators. and to Kings county one.
The citv, by the census Of 1si5 contained a
population Of 37l 800, and the state poru-
lation Of 2,Gol.i9j. Excluding aliens and un-
taxed negroes, the apportlonmcnt was rc-
markedly fair and exact. Kings county fell
a triilc below the required ratio, but its
rapid growth entitled it to senator.
The Constitution of lsiG provided that IAN
enumeration of the inhabitants OF the State
shall be taken. under the direction of the
Legislature, i'm the year 1855, and Mt the end Of
every ten years thereafter: and the said dis
tricts shall bc 50 altered by the Legislature,
at the first session after the return Of every
enumeration, that each Senate district shall
| contain, rs nearly as may be-, an equal num-
Der of Inhabitants excluding aliens and per-
sons Of color not taxed" The required
enumeration was made in 1855. 1t showed
that the State contained 3,iGG.1ls inhabi-
tants, of whom 600, $40 resided in the city OF
| New York. But the Legislature Of 1856
failed to readjust the Senate districts and
! that duty dcVolvcd on the Legislature OF
1891 which was Overwhelmingly Republican
! in both branches When the Constitution OF
1916 was adopted, the ratio of the city's pop
! ulation To that of the State was as As to 80
| In 1855 it was as 5.s To 80. II Is fair to as
sumo that in 1857 it was a. G TO 80. That Is
| To say the city was entitled to six Senators
under the rule apportioning representation
to population. But the Republicans that
year developed their scheme for disfran-
chising the metropolis. The population of
the city had increased in ten years about 70
per cent. while that Of the State outside of
the city. had increased only 81 per cent:
and Nsf "a fb., 70 80 b.t O..
tiona senator was given to the city, and
only one additional Asscmblyman
Meanwhile the rural lawgivcrs looked out
sharply for their own interests. The Con-
stitution created the Frankln-St Lawrence.
the Clinton-Essex-W Warren, the Jefferson
Lewis and the Geucsce- Niagara Orleans
Senate districts, with an aggregate popula-
tion Of j26, 79l. In 1855 these four districts
contained 3s7 ISL inhabitants. showing an
increase Of only $3.50 In the same period
the population of New York had increased
- .'S'. nut TINS -N,'-- vr ,itiH,Ii-. To- tii,-
number OF quarter of "A millIou, Was wholly
ignored in the appOrtionmcnt Of 1851.
lie census Of ls6j was probably a fraud
1t represented that the city Of New York
had lost s7,2s3 inhabitants in five Years.
while the rest Of the State had gnincd =. 325.
erected in that period. the steady advance
in rents and the difficulty in housing the
people. all go to show that the city had not
lost ten per cent Of its population. More
over, New York. during the war. held ont
no such temptation a. was offered to the pa
triots of st. Lawrence and Jefferson 10 cross
over the Canadian border and escape the
draft. But ON this suspicious enumeration,
which robbed the city of perhaps 10000 in
hnbtants the appor'ionmcnt Of 1863 was
based. II gave New York five senators on
an assumed population Of 72d 1856, while jo0-
900 inhabitants IN the interior Of the State
were also allowed the same number Of Scna-
tors.
The census Of 1875 showed that the popu
lation Of tho State WAS 4,7Oi.3gi while the
population Of the city was l.Oi5. 23l. and that
OF Kings county was jG2lG. Lumping the
population of New York and Kings. we find
that each Of the seven senators represents
an average constituency of 100000. cXclud-
ing aliens while seven senate districts i'm
In" interior contain an average population of
only 100000. In other words, ono voter in ST
Lawrence or Jefferson county is given the
same Senatorial representation that il al
lowed To two voters ia New York or Kings |
Since the Constitution of 1916 was aduptcd
New lolkand Kings have increased IN popu-
lHiion 10y moro than 1,l00,OOO, while the rest
OF the state shows an increase Of less than
million, and yet New York and King, are |
allowed only two more senators than the
Constitution gave them. The average in
creas" In thirty years In the twcnty -ilvc dis |
trictS outside Of New York and Kings Is less
than 10000. The average increase in these
scvcndistricts during the Same time is more
than $1,000.
Taking the four interior districts already
mentioned. and adding to them Oneida. We |
have five districts which have remained I'M |
altered for thirty years They contained in
lsi5 larger population than the city Of |
New York 10y 10000, and were allowed one
more senator. Now the city contains halfa !
million more inhabitants than these five |
rural districts, but they are still permitted |
81 send as many representatives. TO the |
Senate IA New York city.