Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-06

Davis. This district sends six Repre-
sentatives to the Legislature, and they
are all OF one political party--the Peo-
ple's, or Mormon party. This party poll,
in round numbers, say $500. The
non-Mormon voters of the district il is
safe to say number 500, making the
total number of voters in the district
1000, which makes the unit OF repre-
sentation 1 1868, which gives the minor
ity in this district 1885 votsrs in excess
OF the number required to consti
tute unit of representation. This
minority with this excess is alb
solutely without any representa-
ton in the Territorial Legislature.
But this is not all. The majority are in
reality allowed representative on unit
of representation Of 9162s. This calcu-
lation is based upon the number of voters
in the district and takes no account of
the relative wealth Of the majority and
the minority. 1t is foreign to the genius
Of American institutions to base repre-
sentation upon property, and it is well
that it is 50. But this does not prevent a
proper consideration of the rights of
property, especially when the revenue
derived from taxes is raised to very
considerable extent from the property of
the minority, such being the case in this
representative district. Now, according
to the true spirit of republican govern
ment and on the true theory Of repre-
sentation, are not the minority in this
representative district entitled to Repre-
sentative in the Legislature? And is not
the same true OF the minority in this city
as regards representation in the City
Council2 This theory of minority repre-
sentation applies to every other election
district where the minority equal in num-
Der the unit OF representation. Where
the minority are less than the number
required to constitute the unit OF repre-
sentation, minority representation is i'm
practicable, unless the Territory shall be
made into one entire district for members
Of both the Council and the House. There
can be no objection to allowing
minority representation in the Legisla-
ture, and it is right which the minority,
when they are equal in number to the unit
OF representation established by law,
have a right to demand, and it can be re-
fused only for despotic reasons, although
those reasons are given by q majority.
The last Constitutional Convention which
sat to consider Of State Constitution
for Utah, made provision for minority
representation, and many of the members
of the Convention are members of the
present Legislature. If it were desirable
to allow minority representation under a
State Government, why should it not be
desirable to have the minority represented
under Territorial form of government ?
The reasons which made it proper in one
case must make it proper in the other.
The Legislature would do we'll to give
the matter their immediate and
careful consideration, both as matter of
policy on the part Of the majority in
Utah, and as matter of simple justice.
If, as Franklin said, honesty is the best
policy, so it may be said that in politics
justice is the best polidy. Let the Legis-
lature, which is entirely composed of the
representatives OF the majority in Utah,
save one member, do unto others as they
wouldthat others should do unto them.