The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-06
THE QUESTION OF NEVADA.

The revelations of the census bid fair to
give actually to problem which thus far
has only possessed speculative interest.
The problem is this: What is to be done
with State when it ceases to contain peo-
pie enough to carry on the business of
Statehood The problem is new in this
country; in England it recurs whenever an
electoral reform bill is passed, and there it
is solved by the power of Parliament. When
the Reform Bill of 1882 was passed it was
found that there were number OF constit-
uencies which contained less than dozen
qualified voters. One rotten borough is said
TO have only held one possessor of the fran
chise. These boroughs were leglslated ont
of existence and their territory was an
neXed to some peighboring constituency. A
similar course was pursued when Glad
stones Reform Bill went into effect Bor-
oughs which had declined in population so
seriously that they were not fairly entitled
to elect member of Parliament were an
neXed to other boroughs. Something OF
the kind takes place decennialy in this
country, when the redistribution of Con-
gressional representation takes place. But
there is no instance in our history of State
losing the representation in the two houses
of Congress which it obtained when it en-
tered the Union.
The question whether Nevada will estab
fish a new precedent is now going to be
discussed. When the Territory was admit
ted as State, in the last year of the war,
at a time when such trifleS as new States
commanded little attention, it had a pOpula-
tiOn of some 10000. Had the country been
at peace it probably could not have secured
an enabling act. In 1870 the census showed
population of AZ, 491. The great discover
les on the COmStOck were made between
1869 and 1878. accordingly in 1880 the popu-
lation had risen to 2.626. From that time
TO the present there has been steady de-
cline, due 10 an exodus of miners and others
from exhausted camps; according to the
enumerators the present census will show
total population of about $4,000. And the
present outlook rather juStities fears of
further depletion.
Upon the system which enables 1880
voters in Nevada to send two Senators
and one Representative TO Washington, 1t
is not now necessary to dwell \ more
pr essing question is how shall these l., 500
voters raise the money to carry on State
Government, with a swarm of offices, and
to support a Legislature of sixty members,
a school system, judiciary system and
number of county organizations? The
burden is manifestly heavier than they can
bear. 1t would not have been borne quietly
as long as it has had not rich men been
found willing to share it, on condition of
being chosen in person or by deputy TO fill
the post of United States Senator. This.
of course, cannot go on forever. The Sem
ate will not sanction an open auction OF
seats in its midst, and the secret of the ten
ure by which Nevada Senators hold cannot
always be kept. Sooner or later the people
of the State will be brought face to face
with the fact that they cannot afford to
maintain State organization. What will
they do then?
There exists no power anywhere which
can obliterate sovereign State. Congress
cannot annex Nevada to another State, as
the British Parliament annexed their rotten
boroughs to their neghbors. The House
of Representatives could not deny admis-
sion to a member from Nevada, even though
he had received only 12j votes instead of
1850. And though the Senate might re-
fuse to seat Senator who had openly
bought his seat, it could not prevent his
successor being chosen by the same agency
more diScreetly applied Not only is there
no power anywhere which could deprive
Nevada of its sovereignty. but there is no
power which could prevent the Legislature
of Nevada indulging in any freaks of legis-
lation which promised to help it out of its
diHioultiac