Thomas County cat., 1889-12-05
WE KICK
...;rst RemoGeling the Constitution in
Regard TO Representation.

Regard to Representation.
A continued restlessness is mani ested
s,v many of our brethren in the eastern
nortio, of the state, as they contemplate
wbat they seem to regard as the en-
croschments of the growing power OF
the Yves, in our state Legislature and al
ready many of the most selfish and mar
row minded are openly confessing their
purpose of remodeling the constitutinn'
doing away with that provision declaring
each organized county entitled TO one
representative and so arrangli the basis
of representation as to place the ai1arS
oftbe state entirely in the hands OF the
older and more populous communities OF
the east.
At first thought there appears sore
force in the complaint that VITA loo OF
ganized counties and the number Oh
representatives liElitcd to l25. when IS
conceded TO be large enough BODY, the
giving of one member to eacn county
confers undue power to the less po2u-
lous ones. Bat we believe careful con
sideration OF the matter will lead 10
different conclusion. In all representa-
tive bodies representation based upon
municipal existapce as well as popuia-
tion seems to be recognized, the theory
seeming To be that in such body each
of the constituent states or coan'leS IS
Justly entitled to some voice |ilch Is
essentially its own For instance our
national congress. Nevada with popu
lation scarcely sufficient to entitle her to
one representative in the lower house,
has her two senators, the same humoer
as New York with population emitting
her ~ 81 mem bers which she has III Inc
lower honse, and vet there result no IN
Justice from this the excessive representa-
ton of New York in the lower house bal
ances that of Nevada in the senate Ana
the same check exists in our state legls-
latrre, For instance the senatorial dist
rict now represented by Senator Rush
comprises 81 counties and probably
under the next apportionment VIII no'
he less than ten So that the counties ol
Shawnee, Leavenworth. Atchison. Sedg-
wick and other more populous ones
which will still have one senator viii
hold the balance of power in that body
SO completely as to neutraliZe the seem
ing excess of the smaller counties in the
lower house. Besides. Kansas grows; The
thing which seems unjust to day, b,
growth and development is Tomorrow
made equitable. Twelve years ago, Cow
lev and Sedgwick counties each will
three members. now Butler. Marion
Reno. Sumner and Mcpherson each with
two. were the frontier counties and th'
same complaint was made against th'
unrairness of giving them vote that /;
made against Us to-day. And there ART
yet within their borders former rep!e
sentatives W ho remember how they wer'
denomlnated coyote members, or con
sderately (D spoken OF as the Statesmen
from the great Arkansas valley, an ap
pel!atinn VIII ch. by the way, has late
been regarded rs tallisman of success
Give us ten wears and we will wipe ou
by our growth the seeming inequality
and not only that but we will win tn
actual balance of power west of the 6l
p. IN. But we will never depart from tn
unit idea" in our house representation
VI t,a otnr
six of the seven congressman, all tn
state institutions andnine tenths of tn
state officers and patronage shall be i
the eastern half of the state. But whe
you want TO take from us our member Q
legislature. WE KICK-Dighton Herald