Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-08-02
STATEHOOD.


! 10 the Editor OF the New Mexican,
Las VEGAS, n. NJ, Aug. /, 1889, The
members OF the Democratic committee OF
! this territory, aided and assisted ly the
| Democratic press, have had so much to
say on what they rall an unjust appoY-
tlonment Of delegates to the constitutional
convention, | deem it not Out OF the way
| to say a few words in response thereto.
| There were two ways lett open TO the
Legislature to make the apportlonmcnt,
One was to apportjon lie delegates in
each Of the counties upon Il basis Of n
certain number OF voters to each delegate,
and the other was to take the number Of
the members Of the legislature from each
county and apporiion upon that basis.
Either mode would give the Republicans
OF the territory Il majority in the conven-
ton in case OF party contest, unless
some OF the Republican counties should
change their politics. The latter mode
was chosen, that is to say: Republicans
and Democrats alike in the legislature
preferred to uppOrtiOn the delegates to the
convention upon the basis OF legislative
representation as being the least objection
able plan. They took the legislative dis
tiicts and simply doubled the representa-
ton. To illustrate: The county Of Santa
tie had three members in the legislature.
We doubled that number so as 10 give it
six in the convention, and so on rs to the
other legislative districts, making perhaps
but one exception, and that in favor of Il
county which had given Mr. Joseph Il
majority. Ii either party received any
advantage by this mode OF apponionment
it was the Democratic party. ToilluStlate:
The county OF ColfaX cast |, 800 votes at
the last election. 1t is claimed as Demo-
cratic county. The county has four dele
gates to the convention. This makes one
delegate to about 81 voters.
Now take the Republican county of
San Miguel. There were cast ut the same
election $3.50 votes, The county is al
| lowed twelve delegates i'll the convention,
or one delegate to about 44G voters. Thus
it will be seen that it takes 69 more yot-
, rrs in the Republican county OF san Mi
glle to elect Il delegate than ii does in
the Democratic county OF COlaS.
Take the Republican county of Socorro,
and there are Al voters 10 each delegate
Again, take the Republican county OF
Sierra and what do We tind7 The vote
cast there at the last election was 1904.
That county is allowed two delegates in
the convention, or one delegate to about
| 6S2 voters. The Democratic county OF
| Colfax, which has only 14j more voters
! than Sierra has double the representa-
ton OF the latter. Take the county OF
Taos, which is claimed rs q Democratic
county. There the vote OF the last cleo
ton was 2,007. The county is allowed
SIX delegates, or one delegate to each 334
voters, while, as we have seen, the Repub-
licun county OF Sierra must be content
with one delegate for each 6S2 voters.
1t seems to me that the Republicans are
the ones to complain II there is any COM
| plant to be made.
Take the county Of San, Juan which
also gave Mr.. Joseph majority at the
last election, and which is claimed as a
Democratic county. That county had
about 403 voters, and yet it has two dele
gates, or one delegate to each 200 and Il
| as man StSlS Ssst~S afIOnIN ~ az az tOun-
ty OF Sierra, which has more than three
times the voters, so that as to these two
counties at least, vote in the Demo
cratic county OF San Juan counts for as
much as three votes in the Republican
county Of Sierra,
If the county of San Miguel had been
allowed one delegate for each POO voters,
as was the Democratic county OF San
Juan, instead Of having twelve delegates,
as We now have, We would have twenty
six. Bernaliilo, another Republican coun-
ty, would have fourteen instead of ten.
SoCorro would have twelve instead of six,
as it now has, and Sierra, instead OF having
two as it now has, would have six. Ii is
true that some OF the Democratic counties
are not favored as are San Juan, Colfax
and Taos, but not in single one OF them
is there such disproportiou as in the coun-
| ty of Sierra.
Ii one delegate had been given to each
| 200 voters in all OF the counties Of the
territory, or, in other words, if the ratio
had been the same as in the county OF
San Juan, the Democratic party would
make the figures about as follows: