Wichita eagle., 1889-01-17

made TO suffer no inconsiderable hard
ships. 1t is believed that law prohibit
ing mine superintendent, operators OF
| foremen from widening of screen bars, OF
changing the elevation of screens, after
contract with the miners, would remedy
| this evil, and urge the matter upon your
attention.
DEATH PENALTY.
| The death penalty for murder in the
| first degree should be either abolished in
direct terms or made effective. The pres
! ent state of the law does neither one nor
! the other 1t seems to have been ingeni-
ously devised to make the governor a pub
lie eXecutioner, shifting upon him the re-
| sponsibility of courts, and constituting
him a thirteenth jury man in such cases.
As result, there is now in the peniteuti-
airy a large number of convicts under sen
tence OF death, with the prospect of re-
manning there, for no man thus sentenced
since the present law was enacted has
been executed.
l believe in the death penalty in extreme
cases, with the intervention of a year be
tween conviction and execution, but rec
ognlZe the fact that public opinion on that
question is much divided. 1t should GER
tainly be abolished in express terms, or
the duty of its enforcement imposed
where 1t belongs.
APPROPRIATION BILLS
The rules of your respective branches
usually require that the important appro-
priation bills shall be introduced on or
before fixed day of the session to
insure consideration-rules, however,
am sorry to say, more honored in the
breach than in the observance. Usually
these measures, appropriating large sums
OF money, ID making provision for the
support OF the state government, in all its
various departments and public insticu-
tons, come in late, or lag at the heel of
the calendar, until the closing days of the
session, and are crowded through under
the whip and spur of necessity with a
haste that is absolutely unseemly and
unwise, not to say unsafe. These meas
ureS should be framed, introduced, care
fully considered, passed and out of the
way as early as is practicable, and it is to
be hoped that you will rigidly enforce and
observe the wholesome rules spoken of
above. Members will find it of great ad-
vantage to themselves in securing atten-
ton to other matters of legislation which
are often lost by having TO give way to
the belated appropriation bills, coming
along in the hurly-burly of the closing
hours.
CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION
1t detracts nothing from the acknowl-
edged wisdom OF the trainers of our cousti-
tuition TO say that it is now very defective.
Our marvellous development and changed
conditions, impossible of anticipation
when it was devised, call now for revision.
Kansas has outgrown many of its provis-
ions and limitations. AT the time OF adj
mission the population of the state did not
exceed 10000. There were but thirty or
gained counties, and five judicial dis
trlCtS each with population of about
1000 The legislature consisted of 100
members-twentv-five senator's and seven
ty-hve representatives. If based on popu-
latlon, each representative would have
represented about 600 people. Then there
was not d mile of railroad in the state
Now we have 800 miles in operation, with
a population approximating one million
and three-Quarters; with twenty-nne
Judicial dis riots, each with a population
of about $4,000 There are in the state la6
organized counties, maintaining separate
county governments, and more than ten
thousand common schools supported and
successfully conducted under our grand
system of free popular education. The
Kansas of today has reached the vast pro-
portions or an empire, requiring a read
Unstable of her organic law to suit the
present needs
UNEQUAL REPRESENTATION
The constitution limits the number of
to one hundred and TWEEN
ty-iiVe. lightweight only of the organ
lied counties are represented in the lower
house by one or more members each. An
apportionment can be made only once in
five years, ana no organized county is en-
titled to separate representation unless it
cast at least 80 legal votes at the general
ELECTION next before the apportionment is
made.
Eighteen counties organized since the
last apportionment in 1856, with Il pOpula-
lion of not less than seventy-fiye thousand
people, casting at the last election nearly
ifteen thousand votes, are thus excluded
rom representation by the limitations of
5he constitution, and must so remain until
The next appOrtiOument in 1891 shall give
hem representation in 1888, unless the rem
ady be sooner applied by amendments TO
,he constitution.
Again, as between the counties entitled /
o repres NATION, no just apportiOnment
Vas possible either in 1876, 1881 or the last |
me in 1897, based on the census of 1885. |
On the basis of population, if such had |
been possible, each representative would |
If 10.15O. But that apportion-
nent gave representative 10 each |
If twenty-eight organized counties, |
IS required by the intleXible rule of the |
constitution, whose population, respec
lively, ranged in round numbers from
800 to $500, averaging less than 1900 |
ZACH, and five of them having less than
200 each. In other words, out of a then
population of 800 900, the lbs, 5000 people
Ii these twenty-eight counties were
llowed twenty-eight representative while
he remaining LII, 500 people were given
,ut ninety-seven, or one to every 12,071.
These ninety seven representative dis
riots embrace fifty-nine counties, and be-
ween these the greatest inequality exists
n representation, as no district can be
reated comprising territory within two
T more counties. Giving each of the
hen organized counties having the re-
uisite number of voters one representa-
i've. thirty-seven remained to be dis
Iibuted on the basis Of population, of
rhich few instances are given for Illus
ration: Leayenworth county, with
opulation of 1880, has four representa-
ues, one to every l0,700; Shawnee with
opulatlOn of 10 800, has three representa-
ives, one for every 9,7l4 people. Jefferson
Ounty, with 6265 population has Two
representatives., one to 5, 1872; while Wyan-
otte. with population of 5000, has but
yo, one to 1900 people.
Against the twenty-eight counties here
lbefore mentioned, having an average
OpulatlOu OF less than 1900 to each of
hich a representative was given, may be
t over seventeen counties, each of which
len had over 1900 people and was al
WED but one member, and the population
eight OF these ranged between II 900
nd 5000. one having $3.50, another l6. $50
I'd another l. ,151. These gross inequali-
eS, it is proper TO say. are unavoidable ,
nder present constitutional restrictions.
I'd must be borne until needful changes
the fundamental law shall bring relief
APPoRTIoNMENT.
No change may be made in the appor- I
onment except at the time prescribed by {
e constitution. once in five years. The |
ose of the last five years period fell in '
80. in the interval between our bienuial s
sSions. and compelled the extra session d
1886 with ITS attendant expense The c