Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-07-27
REPRESENTATION.

Among the many questions which will
assume importance before the Constitu-
tional Convention, none will be Of more
direct interest to the smaller counties oil
Californis thnn will that of Legislative
Representation, The relative situation OF
the counties comprising State is exactly
parallel TO that occupied by the several
States In their relation to The Union. That
the weak might bo afforded ample pro-
lection against any possible aggressions
by the strong, the founders of the Con-
stitution OF The United States wisely pro-
Yided for equal representation in one
branch of the Legislative Department,
and each State was given two Senators
without regard to size, population, wealth
or other qualification. As regards num-
Der, all States are equal on The floor oil
the United States Senate. Similar pro-
vision should be made for the protection
Of the small counties constituting State,
and each should be allowed direct repre-
sentation in the Legislative Branch of the
State Government.
Under the existing Constitution and
laws Of California, population is made the
sole basis of representation and the county
which unhappily has not sufficient citizens
for representative Of its own must be
content to elect jointly with its neighbors.
Trinity will serve ms an example OF the
unjust workings Of this mode Of Legisla-
tive apport tionment. We are not large
enough to have ar Assemblyman even,
but must content ourselves with half \
representative in the Lower House and
one-fourth of Senator. Combining
these two, we have, theoretically, three
fourths of one representative in the State
Legislature. But in practice we are at
times even worse off than this would ir-
dieate, and so far as our local interests
are concerned Trinity may be practically
without representation. With Senator
from Siskiyou or Modoc. and an Assem-
blyman from Shasta, reither of whom
have perhaps ever been within the boun-
darics of this county and know nothing
of our wants or requirements, we claim
that Trinity is practically unrepresented.
Instances can be mentioned when our
county would have been as well repre-
sented by the Assemblyman from San
Diego or any other remote county as it
has been By its half of the Shasta and
Trinity Delegation. Even at the present.
our one-fourth interest in the Senator
from this District is almost as good as no
representation. And what is true OF
Trinity in respect to joint Senators and
Assem- blymen is equally true OF each OF
the other three counties comprising this
Senatorial District. So it doubtless is
with all other counties OF the State that
are sim iiarly situated in this respect
While. the representatives are frequently
10 blame for not taking more interest in
the counties with which their own may be
associated, it is q wrong SYSTEM which
makes such non representation possible.
We are not prepared to claim equal
representation in the State Legislature
with that of our sister counties of larger
and more healthy growth, although sound
arguments might be advanced in support
Of such a claim. But what Trinity coun-
ty, and every other small county in Cali
tvrnia, does want is at least one repreSon-
tative from among its own citizens, to
advocate its desires and protect its inter
ests. Let county government be the
foundation of the Legislative apporiion-
ment; give each county Senator or AS
semblyman by virtue of its organization
and then apportioa the remainder by a
decreased ratio among the more populous
ceuHties. Justice tn the ittio counties,
struggling 10 maintain an existence, de-
mands this and when we consider the
superiority OF the Legislative material
furnished by the interior in comparison
10 that sent biennially from the metropo-
lis 10 Sacramento, it must be admitted
that The State will be largely benefited by
tho change.