Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-01-07
Held over from last week.
THE COURSE TO PURSUE.

It is true that we elect representatives
every two years, but they are nothing
more than lobby In our law-making
halls, and for all the good they do us they
might as well remain at home. They
have no voice in any vote, and the only
good they can do at ali is to work at re-
cesses as curb-stone politician In some
backwOods village. In number OF our
exchanges OF the past week we have no.
ticed comments upon an article which ap-
peared in the Western World couple
of weeks ago In support of the counties
| thus disfranchised. Several of them are
| published In counties which enjoy the
| right OF franchise, and they all are in ia
vor OF a Especial session being convened
| this winter for the purpose OF bringing
about way by which franchise may be
granted to those 19 counties. We believe
it the duty Of every publisher in these
counties to urge the calling of an extra
session of the legislature for this winter
until some steps can be taken in the mat
ter through their columns with all the
earnestness possible. There never was
known in the history of the settlement of
any state to be so large a number OF
counties without representation as is the
case in this instance. By all means let
us have an extra session Of the Legislature
this winter.
It has been suggested by our represent
ing of the representatives and publishers
several counties interested, arranged
for at Garden City on or about January
8, 1883, for the purpose of talking the mat
| Tor ND fho 10
plans to be pursued. This we think
would be good idea, and we would be
pleased to hear from the craft In this par
ticular in their next issues. Garden City
was named because it was considered to
be the most centrally located. Let us
hear from all of you, brothers.-[DgAto"
Journal.
The World, as the journal intimates,
took the lead in the demand for the sub
mission of constitutional amendment
this winter looking to the newly organized
counties in Kansas having legal represen-
tation in the legislature as early as 1889,
instead of being deprived Of the precious
privilege until 1893.
| Governor Martin has reached decision
in the case. We copy, from the Topeka
Capital, the governors argument to sus-
tain his decision. The Capital of last Sat-
urday says:
Hon. w. D. Pratt, who was member
of the Kansas House of Representatives,
session of 1856, recently addressed a let
ter to Governor Martin, urging special
session of the legislature this winter for
the purpose of again re-apportioning the
state. As this subject has been recently
discussed by several papers of the state,
and as the governor has received so many
letters touching upon the same subject,
he yesterday addressed the following re-
ply to Mr.. Pratt:
Hon. w. d. Pratt, Jetmore, Kansas:
Dear Sir: have received yours of the
Is, in which you urge that special ses-
sion of the legislature should be called
this winter, because, first, "sixty or seven
ty thousand citizens of newly organized
counties are deprived by the constitution
and laws as they now are, of any vote in
the law making body of the state;;" and,
second, several of the laws of Kansas are
sadly in need of revision.
i I recognize, fully, the inequalities of our
present basis Of representation in the
house of representatives. But I doubt
very much whether new apportionment
could be made this winter, even If the
legislature was convened, and I am GER
tain that such an apportionment could
not correct the inequalities of our present
system.
Our state constitution provides that 'a
new apportionment shall be made in the
year 1866, and every five years thereafter,
based upon the census of the preceding
year." To secure compliance with this
constitutional provision, I convened the
legislature in extra session, in January,
1886, and that body made new appor-
tionment, based on the census of 1885
But the inequalities of representation are
apportionment was made, and in my
judgment, they would be equally conspic-
uous and obnoxious if another apportion-
the census of 1887.
The truth is, that no just and fair ap-
portionment is possible under the provi-
sions of our present organic law. Our
constitution, while providing that ''the
house of representatives shall admit one
member from each county in which at
least Z5U legal votes were cast, and that
''each organized county shall have at
least one representative" also declares
that 'the number of representatives shall
never exceed 125." The population of
the state at the date of the last census
March /, 1S87-was 1,518,255. A fair and
equal basis of representation for house
of 125 MEMBERSHIP constitutional limit
would, therefore, be one member for
each 1915 inhabitants. There are at
present 102 organized counties in Kansas,
and four others will probably be organ
lied during the next year, OF these,
| eighty-seven counties have, under the
present apportionment, one or more rep
resentatives, and fifteen counties, now or
ganized, will have no vote in the next
Legislature. Twenty-Five counties each
have two representatives, VIZ, Atchison,
Jefferson, Wyandotte, Douglass, Frank
lin, Miami, Bourbon, Crawford, Cherokee,