Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-07-05
LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIONS.


legislature too large, neither do we want
it too small. OF the two extremes, how.
ever, the former would be preferable, be-
cause more communities, more interests
and more factions would be represented
in large body than IN small one. The
TRIBUNE believes in county representa-
tion-in government near to the peo
pie. It may be radical, but it believes
we would have better laws and much
more economical administration of affairs
if there was but one Legislative body
and that body composed of mer
responsible to small constituent
cies. The state senates, as vel
as the United States senate, have
become aristocratic bodies, largely made
up of monopolists, who pay but little at.
tention to the real wants of the common
people. They are Legislative obstruction,
lists. However, if an upper house is
maintained let it be as large and repre-
sentative as possible.
The South Dakota constitution
limits the number of members of the
house to not less than IS nor more than
135, and the senate to not less than 25
nor more than As. This is a very good
provision. The apportionment by the
constitutional convention for the first
legislature should be made on the BIZ
decennial census of 1885. The regular
decennial census of the government will
be taken next year and the succeeding
legislature can change the apportlonment
after that date. l
Several suggestions as to the legisla-
tive apportionment have been made
the Fargo Argus of the 23d inst. having
couple of schemes-and the TRIBUNE
has couple also. The first one
is to do away with circumlo-
cution and have but one body-say of 81
members to begin with, which would be
one for each 1900 population. This
would be popular government. The
members of such body would feel their
responsibility. There would be fewer
s'policy" votes, and less sinking from
duty. In the present system the legis-
lative machinery is so cumbersome that
the most meritorious measures often die
on the calendar or are smothered in pro-
cess of transmittal from one house to
the other. A single house legislature
would facilitate business, and save to the
taxpayers of the new state thousands of
dollars in legislative expenses.
In such an apportionment the repre-
sentation would be as follows:
Districts !, ,2,3.4, s, 6 and 7-Pembina,
population l1510-7 members.
Districts 8,9 and 1O-Cavalier, 5.O29-3
members.
Rstrct Rstrjct Fo%asr sssl membss
District -Bottineau, $751; member.
District 14-Ward, 257-1 member.
District 15-McHenry, about 8O0-1 men,
ber.
District 16-Pierce, about 6OO-1 member.
District 17-BensOn, 1866 member.
Districts 18 and 19-Ramsey 3,271-2m men,
bers.
Districts 20, 81, q. %, "a and 25-walsh,
Districts Is, q, Is, %, 30, 81, 80, 80, "a and
35-Grand Forks, 2O,454-1O members.
Districts 36 and S7-Nelson, 3331-2
members.
District 38-Eddy, 825-1 member.
District S9-Wells, 2S5-1 member.
District 4l-Mercer, 244-1 member.
District 42-Otiver, S27-1 member.
Districts 43, A and 45-Morton, 5,879-3
members.
District 46-Stark, 1901 member.
District 47-BilliDgs, 737-l member.
Districts 48, 49 and 5O-Burleigh, 5354-3
members.
District 51-Kidder, l.572-1 member.
District 81, So and 8 5-Stltsman, 5.632- 8
members.
District t55-Foster, 992-1 member.
District 58-Griggs, 2O9S-1 member.
District 81 and 58-Steele, SO80-2 MEM
bers.
Districts 50, 60, 81 and 62-Traiil, 8,l1s-
members.
Districts 6s, "a, IS, 66, 81. 68, SO, 20, II, 72
Districts "a, Is and 76-Barnes, 6O9S- 8
members.
Districts Y, 7s, 70, 80 and Strickland,
6,4S-5 members.
Districts 81 and ss-Ransom. 4,2ss-2
Districts "a and s5-Sargent, s2s4-2
members.
Districts s6 and s7-Dickey, sSs7-2
members.
District ss -LsMoure, 2,O72-1 member.
District 89-Mclntosh, S90-1 member.
District 90-Logan. S98-1 member.
District 9l-Emmons, 1,O4O-1 member.
IT, however, the footsteps Of our fore
fathers are to be followed; if prejudice
be too strong against originality and
new departures; if we have not proated
by experience and cannot see the neces-
sity Of simplifying government, then the
TRIBUNE offers another scheme.
The Fargo Argus opposes county rep
resentahon because it fears that under
such 9 system the smaller counties
would gain over the larger counties in
representation. It should be remem-