Telegram-herald., 1890-09-24

Yesterdays I,sm0eFat eoct4lns1 =
scheme of aisfrsnehlssnaents. nhlch
fally equals sonS of tas plans proposed
n the Mlssisss Pps constitutional conven-
ta9n- Il . oH of the sane piece of
Democratic impotence, snd : directed
against class Of nen who hsFe seldom
voted % snlt the Democracy Il = TIE
Invention Of Grand Rapids eminent
Democrats constitutional luminary. L.
L. Norris. Here iIls. IN his Own words,
as Published IN the Democrat.
The present constitution Is that Of
1880. and might DC revised 70 great sd-
vantage 70 the people. For Instance,
our slngle district method OF election
or members OF the Legislature. That
method by dividing the moe populous
counties into dlstricts, some " which
sTe rural and the others urban, Las
sent 10 tile Legislature men Of inferior
capacity from the backwOcds. II Kent
county could elect her representatives
on single ticket. Graad Rapids could
bring enough influence 10 bear 20 elect
good men. As 4 Il, the leading men IN
the country districts are the supervisors
1AAN r-A-Nt A"ttV hAI asfA IOAANf ~ N+Ao
members Of the Legislature have been
supervisors. IN fact, the majority OF
the constitutional convention or 1850
were supervisors.
NOW that IS a brilliant scheme. IL is
really pity that it could not be adopt
Ell IN time 10 help Peter Dorau into the
Senate, as he IS Grand Rapids lawyer,
10 the expulsion of W. T. Adams, whom
Mr.. Norris would class among 'men of
inferior capacity from the backwoods."
I This IS the kind Of love the Demo
cracy has for the supervisors"
Of the country districts" who
have been ii the majority in, the Legis-
/ lature since 1850, as Mr.. Norris says.
His ideal Legislature would be made up
of gentlemen from the city, like Peter
| DOran, to the exclusion of rural "haw-
/ bucks" as the Democratic papers of
| the state call the last Legislature. How
would the citizens of the country dis
tricts Of Kent county, linen OF inferior
capacity from the backwoods," as Mr..
| Norris calls them, like 10 have all four
/ Representatives and the Senator elected
from among the gentry of Grand Rap
/ ids, because, under Mr.. Norris plan,
"Grand Rapids could bring enough in
fluence to elect good men," thecountry
districts not having, according to the
Norris idea, either influence or sense
enough to do so?
A few days since the Democrat pub
lished little biography of Peter Doran
and urged his election to the State SEN
ate. He'is one of the "good men" Mr..
Norris tells about, and the Democrat
called upon Grand Rapids to "bring
enough influence to bear TO elect" him.
According to the ideas of the Democrat
and mouth-piece Norris, w. T. Adams
is one of the "men of inferior capacity
from the backwoods," whom il would
not be safe to send to the Senate, for he
is OF the same kind of material as those
country supervisors, who have been
running the State Legislature ever since
1850. Before the campaign is over the
citizens of Kent county will have ample
opportunity to compare, upon the ros-
trum, the kind of "good men" the city
would present with one of the "men of
inferior capacity from the backwoods."
And the supervisor" of the country
districts" will see to it that good man"
Doran, of the city of Grand Rapids, re-
ceives rousing invitation to spend the
winter with his learned friend Norris,
while the imam of inferior capacity
from the backvoods" goes to Lansing
TO make laws for the two constitutional
celebrities to ponder over.