New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-04

and fairly their official responsibilities would be
| duties. We have however. come upon such q
time. The remedy is In the hands Of the people,
and an enlightened public sentiment should be
| invoked to the end that alleged representatives
| shall no longer be countcnanced in avoiding the
Just demand OF the people that incompetent or
indifferent officials or officials holding over in
definitely shall give way to active. upright and
vigorous successors. A law embodying the sug-
gcstions here mentioned. to take effect upon tho
expiration Of the present term of Office of tho
Governor, would be entirely satisfactory to me-
ENUMERATION AND APPoRTIONMEST.
measure should be enacted providing simply
for enumeration of the inhabitants of the State.
This is matter Of paramount Importance. The
Constitution requires an enumeration every ten
years. IL Is an essential prerequisite to reap
portlonment of the Senate and Assembly districts
Of the State, and should have been had in $50.
IL has been neglected Or refused each and every
year since that time.
1t is true that in 985 an act was passed by the
Legislature, but which properly met with EXecu-
tive dlsappr0val, which provided, not for simple
Enumeration OF the inhabitants, but for an exten-
blVe ana complicated census. as elaborate as the
Federal census Of ! $780, This was more than the
Constitution required, and would have cost the
taxpayers OF the State over four hundred thousand
dollars, while simple enumeration would have
cost only cIghty thousand dollars or whereabouts.
The right of the Legislature with the concur
renee OF the Executive, to direct such q costly
census as that proposed in S65' Is und0ubted but
without such concurrence it must fail. because
such direction must be embodied in a law, duly
dinarily receive Executive approval. 1t is con-
coded that the Legislature may, with the concur
renee OF the Executive couple with an enumera-
ton act any other measure 1T pleases-such as a
scheme for the counting of the horses, cattle,
sheep and goats within the State. census of
all its insects fruits or forest trees. or any other
useless, unnecessary and expensive pr0cedure-and
the Constitution Is not thereby Violated But the
Legislatures constitutional duty to provide for
PLAIN enumeration of the inhabitants. and that
only, Is not fulfilled by the passage OF any such
measure, provided it does not ripen into law
by Executive approval. If the Executive, upon
grounds of economy, public policy otherwise,
refuses to sanction anything more than is strictly
required by the Constitution the duty OF the Leg
lsature Is plain to comply with the Constitution,
and not insist upon anything more. Constitution
al requirements should not be Joined. confounded
or confused with matters of mere utility, ex-
pedlency or prOprlcty.
1t is my desire to state the issue fairly. The
fact is recognized and admitted that it has been
customary in the past to couple a census with an
enumeration of the inhabitants. But it was de-
monstrated in SS5 by facts which were indis
putable, that such course was no longer wise,
but an absolute waste of the peoples money. The
Secretary of State, under whose charge the last
census had been taken in 1875, had recommended
that thereafter there should only be an enumsra-
ton of the inhabitants. 1t shown that with
a Federal census taken every ten years and with
the information derived from the various bureaus
which had been created during the past fifteen
years for the express purpose OF collecting annual
statistics of every kind any further expenditure
for statistical information other than for strict
enumeration improvident But the Legisla-
lure OF 800, even III tne uSnJ OF tntSc conceded
facts, insisted upon State census more elaborate
than any which had ever preceded it. even to the
extreme OF being as extensive as the Federal census
of $50. Ii insisted upon having that nothing
at all No Legislature since then has passed either
an enumeration or census bill, or any bill what
ever upon the subject. The Constitution has sim
ply been set at naught and deied. IL may be
remarked in this connection that the value of
either an enumeration or a census depends largely
upon It's accuracy and the promPtness WITH which
the Fedeal census of $50 has not vet been COM
plcted. 1t is idle to regard it Of any particular
value to anybody when there is not single COM
plete printed copy to be found anywhere IN the
State. To attempt to duplicate such census, so
far as Ncw-Yorlx is concerned. would be a reckless
squanderlng of the public moneys.
No good reason can be urged why an enuinera-
ton should not be had. If the Legislature and
the Executive cannot agree upon census. there
ought at least to be agreement upon simple
enumeration. There should be no discussion as to
the proprety of ordering it. The Constitution
requires it, and that is enough.
Fair-minded men Will find it difficult to resist
the conclusion that the course of previous Legs-
latures has been dictated by narrow and selfish
partisan policy, and that an enumeration has
been refused solely because of the fact that with
an enumeration would naturally follow new APP
portonmcnt Of the Senate and Assembly districts
Of the State and the political advantage now pos
sessed by the party that has control Of the Leg
islature would thereby be lost. 1t is to be re-
GREETED that there is much to sustain this view Of
the situation. The truth is that no Legislature
since 1888 has represented, nor does the present
Legislature, is well known, represent the pOliti
cal majority Of the people of the State. The eX-
listing unjust appOrtiOnmcnt has given the min
ority party the control Of the Legislature and
the unfair advantage is sought to be perpetuatcd
by refusal of the beneficiary to permit resort
to constitutional means to effect q change.
POPULATION AND REPRESENTATIONS.
It is generally conceded that an enumeration.
followed by an honest appOrtOnment would I'M
questionably result in q change in the political
complexion of the Legislature Of the State. A
single glance at the present iniqutous appor-
tionment disclOscs motive and purpose in the
neglect or refusal to permit an enumeration. in
the great Democratic counties of New-f York and
Kings there Is an average OF over %, 600 popu-
lation to each Assembly District, while in eight
bly, district, the average population in each dis
trct is scarcely half that number and in five
other Republican counties having more than one
district, the population hardly averages $4,000
in each district. The strong Republican county
Of St; Lawrence. with population OF only 5000.
has three Assembly districts, while the Democratic
county Of Queens with a population OF oo;547,
has only two districts. The strong Republican
f has t%o whe the
Sas only one disrc and the strong Rep%bcan
7Ol, has two Assembly districts, while the close
county. Of Suffolk has only one. district, with
population Of over SO, 900: which is nearly equa!
TO the population Of the Republican counties OF
Putnam Schuyler, and Yates combined: while
the Republican counties OF Jefferson. Chatanqua
Cattaraugus, Cayuga and Saratoga have each one
more district than than n fair and equitable appor-
tionmcnt would award them.
These inequalities presented on the basis OF
the figures of the census OF $50. In view OF the
immense increase of population in strong DEM
ocratc counties since then how much greater
would such inequalities appear if predicated upon
q present enumeration!
The refusal of the Legislature to perform its
clear constitutional duty seems strange and in
explicabe. Yet it should be borne in mind that
this is not the first instance in the history OF the
State when this duty has been sought to be evaded
in the same partisan interest and under the same
auspices. / find that my predecessor, Governor
Robinson in his annual message in S79, felt
constrained to use the following vigorous lang
uage:
I regret that It Is necessary for the fourth time to
remind the Legislature that enumeration of the In
habit ants of the state made I'm 1875 and that tho
Constitution impcratvely requires the Legislature,
at tho first session after such enumeration, TO reap
portion the Senatorial and Assembly Districts so that
Der Of inhabitants excluding aliens. The require