Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-07-23
w b at UneQual RspReeentaslon

In the establishment of Water CON-
mission we have a fair illustration of the
effects of unequal representation in the
law making bodies of the State. Had
the people of the State been equally
represented in the Legislature no such
q law a. that creating Water Com
mission would have passed that body.
IL is because two Democratic counties
with a combined population Of $1,000
have twenty members in the Legisla-
ture, while one Republican County
with population of $1,000 has only ten
members that the people Of that unfor-
tunate County are Imposed upon, made
to bear the brunt Of taxation and all
the evils consequent upon partisan Leg.
islature.
The same political tactics been have
worked SO well for the advantage of the
Democratic party in State matters have
been introduced into the city Of Will
mington through the power conferred
by 81 900 people against the helpless
protest of 5000. The Democratic
politicians who have profitted by the
injustice Of unequal State representa-
ton were not content until they intro
duced the same system Of unequal rep
resentation into the government Of the
city of Wilmington. As result of this
we find minority of the people elect.
ing majority of the City Council We
find the smaller part of the city in popu-
lation divided into larger number Of
Democratic wards than the larger part
of the city is divided into Republican
wards, and by this inequality and in
justice the Democratic party though in
a minority in the city is enabled to- hold
the reins of government and control
legislation like veritable tyrant, COM
posed virtually of the representatives Of
two counties of the State, and those
counties with a minority Of the people
debating laws for the government OF
Wilmington Of partisan character.
What the Democratic party of Will
mington in its minority and helpless
state failed to accomplish of partisan
character the Legislature did not fail to
give them.
Thus when the city two years ago
overturned Democratic rule and elected
a Republican Mayor and Republican
City Council, the Legislature came to
the aid of the defeated Democracy,
retired the newly elected Republican
Mayor upon small salary, created a
Municipal Court with a Democratic
Judge and Democratic clerk, and Gre.
ated Water Commission composed Of
a majority of Democrats that placed
the Democratic Chief Engineer of the
Water Works back into his old posi-
ton, from which the Republicans of the
city in the exercise of their local rights
and in the interests of local selfgovern-
ment had removed him.
1t will always be thus, 80 long as
one-third of the people ot,the State have
no representation in the body that
makes the laws of the State. We have
drawn no exaggerated picture of the
state of affairs in our State. Is it not
80 that large majority of the people
are at the mercy ola partisan m :nority?
we will venture TO say positively that
another case of State government, where
there are only thirty representatives in
the Legislature and twenty of them are
elected by 67 900 people, while ten of
them are elected by $1,000, cannot be
found in the United States, and we will
go farther and express doubt if suct
a parallel can be found In any limited
monarchy OF Europe, where there is an,
pretence of giving the people a voice il
making the laws.