The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-04

These figures tell their story and
make their appeal with an eloquence
that the spirit of justice can not resist.
With state population of 2,235,000
and senate of thirty-one members
the ratio of representation is to 72, :
900. The districts that fall below this
ratio are the First, Third, Fourth,
Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh,
Thirteenth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth,
Twenty second, Twenty-third, Twenty.
fifth, Twenty-sixth and Thirtieth
The Others have a surplus of popula-
ton. The most notable instances of
disparity are the Third and Twenty
eighth districts, one with only 26,73l
persons in it, the other with l04, $40.
One man in the Third district has as
much power In the senate, speaking
through his representative, as
four in the Twenty-eighth. The
sixteen districts in which
the population is deficient have
one member of the senate to 81, 500
persons. The fifteen districts in which
there is a redundant population have
one member to $4,000 persons. One
million people have sixteen senators
to look after their interests, while
1886, 900 have only fifteen senators to
defend them.
1t is ten years since the state was
apportioned into senatorial and repre-
sentative districts. In ten years pop
ulation has shifted from the east to
the west. The unrepresented popula-
ton is nearly all west of the Houston
and Texas Central railroad, because
in that territory the growth has been
greatest. Compare the Third district
with the Nineteenth in 1880 and 1890.
The Third numbered 25, III souls in
1880, and the Nineteenth 25 ,947. After
ten years the Third has 2j.7l3 while
the Nineteenth had Ga, 932. Compare,
also, the Second and the Twenty
eighth with 81 ,563 and 81, 436, respect
lively, in 1880, and 1889 and 104, $40,
respectively, in 1890. They were near
ly equal in numbers at the time the
state was laid off in districts. Now
they are far apart, so rapidly has the
West outstripped the East in growth.
To read just on a more equitable
basis these discrepancies that the
lapse OF decade has made in differ
emit quarters of the state; to give the
citizen of one part of the state an
equal voice in governmental affairs
with the citizen OF another part; TO
guarantee truly republican form of
government, in which all men are
equal, requires OF us that the state
shall be redistricted UPON the basis of
the population, as aseertained by the
latest census returns, SO thai the leg
islature that is to be elected in 1892
snail fairly represent the people Of
Texas as they are now distributed over
the state. Unless this reapportion-
ment is made before the next election,
it cannot serve the people until the
election 81 1894, when, supposing the
Twenty-th legislature will not neg
lect its duty in that respect as the
Twenty-second did, an assembly will
be chosen, based upon the distribution
of political strength as it stood in 1890
A special session of the legislature is
the only power to which the people
can turn for relief before 1894. lt rests
with Governor Hogg to extend this
relief to the people or to withhold it
from them, He has precedent for
such action in the calling of the legis-
lature together by Governor Roberts
in 1889, to reapportion the state, and
the people approved the act. Such
action is as necessary now as 1T was
then, and the people look to Governor
Hogg to give them the relief that can
come from no other source. Fort
Worth Gazette.