Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-01-06
SPECIAL SESSION.


Governor Martin Gives Reasons why 1t Is
Unnecessary.
Governor Martin has addressed a letter to
dr. ". D. Pratt, OF Jstmores Kansas In
answer to a letter written him urging
special session OF the legislature, this win
ter, for the purpose Of again reapportion-
ing the state. The letter has been made
public, and the principal part Of it is given
below:
Hon. ". d. Pratt, .JstnOl's. Kansas.
DEAH SIRs--H p = j recognize fully the in
equalltlos Of our present bC.sis OF represent
alton N the house Of representatives.. But
doubt very much WHISTLER a new apportion-
ment could be made this winter, even il the
legislature was convened and am certain
that such an superintendent could not cor
rect the inequalities of our present system.
The truth IS that no Just and fair ap-
pOrt1oument is possible under the provisions
ton, while providing that ''the house Of rep
resentatiVes shall admit one member from
each county in which al least $50 legal votes
were cast" and that leach organized county
shall have at least one representative" Elso
declares that the '-nuul5sr Of representa-
uves shall never eIcs5d 1851 The popuis~
ton of the state at the last census-MGrch j.
l66I-Was ], 5l6, 255. A fair and equal basis
Of representation for q house Of 125 mem
bers-ths constitutional limit WOulds there
Tore be one member for each II, l46 lnhablL-
ants There are at present 102 unorgEniZsd
counties in Kansas, and four others VIII
probably be organized during the next year.
OF these, eighty seven counties have, under
the present superintendent, one or more rep
resentatiVes, and fifteen counties, nov or
tganiZ5d, will have no vote IN the next legIs-
lature. twenty-five counties each have two
representatives, I'VE counties, Labettes
Shawnee, COWiey, SedgWick and Sumner
each have three representatives, and one
county, LeaVenWorth, has four. The least
nunuLDWa of thu glunfTaa having
ssntatives, Jefferson, has &c, 265 Inhabitants;
tbs most pOpulous, WyGndOtte, has 81 $50.
Otths counties having three representative,
the least p9pulOus, Labette, has q, lS5 IN
habitants, the most pOpulous, SedgWick, has
1888. The fifteen counties OrganlZed
since the appOruOnment Of 1886 and
the three counties which have not
been organized because OF suits nov pend
ing in the courts have total population Of
81 ,2l2 inhabitants, who viii, practically
have no vote IN the next house OF represent
atives.
If, however, those eighteen counties were
added to the eighty-ssvsn that we're assigned
representatives under the present appOr-
tionment, one hundred and five Of the one
hundred and twenty-five Representatives to
which the house is limited, would be alb
sorbeds leaving only twenty to be distrib-
uted on the basis Of population, among the
more pOpulOus counties. The result Of this
would be that fully thirty counties, each
having less than 5000 inhabitants, and an
aggregate population as shown by the cen
sus Of March, j 1887, of only 1O7, 805, would
have an aggregate OF thirty representative,
while twenty-five counties, having an az
gregate population Of so, 557, would have
only one represen. alive each, and six other
counties, having an aggregate population OF
%, SAB, would be reduced to two represent
atves each.
Such amendments might have been sub
mitted during the session OF 1856, when the
question of appOrtiOnment was under con
slderatlOn, or during the session of 1887.
The defects and lDsq Qualities Of our present
system were lust as apparent then as they
are now. Indeed, thLy have been universal
ly acknowledged during the past six or eight
years, and st successive sessions Of the leg
lslature haNs taken no steps to correct them.
The fact Is that Kansas has outgroWn its
organic law, and its different parts cannot
be made to fit the great state Of the present.
Our constitution was made for a community
o. 10000 people; We have to-day at least
1900, 600. In brief We need new con-
stitution.
1t may be true, as You urge, that many OF
our laws need revision This argument
might be made IN support Of demand for
an extra session Of the legislature, at any
time cannot believe, heWeyer, that Il
would Justify an extra session Of the legisla-
ture this winter. You're very truly,
JOHN A. MARTB.