Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-03-21
The New Legislative Districts for the
Council and House and the Govern.
or's Memoranda as to His Ac-
ton and the Represen-
tation.
TERRITORY OF New Mexico,
Executive Office,

practicable to the Inherent counties, ac-
cording to the organic law of the terri
tory" taking said census as basis; and
that if the legislature shall fail or refuse
to make such apportionment, then it shall
be the duty of the governor of the terri
tory, within thirty days, to make such
apportionment;
And whereas, The late legislative as
sembly at the session which terminated
on February rs, 1891, being the first SEES
sion after the national census OF 1890,
failed to make the apportionment afore'
said;
Now therefore, I, L. Bradford Prince,
governor of New Mexico, do make and
declare the following apportionment of
said territory into council and represen-
tative districts, to-wit:
| COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
First district-Colfax and Mora coun-
ties, one member.
Second dstrct-San Miguel county Gin
Guiding Guadalupe county,, two members.
Third district-Taos, Rio Arriba and
San Juan counties, two members.
1
member.
Fifth district-Bernaillo county, two
members.
Sixth Observation-Disclosures county, one
member.
Seventh district-Socorro and Sierra
counties, one member.
Eighth district-Grant and Dona Ana
counties, one member.
Ninth district-Grant, Dona Ana, Lin
coin, Chaves and Eddy counties, one
member.
REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS.
First district-Colfax county, one rep
resentative.
Second district-Mora county, one rep
lresentative.
Third district-Colfax and Mora coun-
ties, one representative.
Fourth dlstrict-San Miguel county Gf
Guadalupe county be not legally consti-
tuted,) four members; or if Guadalupe
county be legally constituted, then and in
that case, San Miguel county, three rep
resentatives; Guadalupe county, one rep
resentative.
Fifth District-Santa Fe county, two
Representatives.
Sixth Distrct-Taos county, one rep
resentative.
Seventh District-Rio Arriba county,
one representative.
Eighth Distrlct-Taos, Rio Arriba and
San Juan counties, two representatives.
Ninth District-Bernalillo county, three
representatives.
Tenth Observation-Disclosures county, two
Representatives.
Eleventh District-Socorro and Sierrs
counties, two representatives.
Twelfth District-Dona Ana county
ore representative.
Thirteenth District-Grant county, one
representative.
Fourteenth District-Dona Ana and
Grant counties, one representative.
Fifteenth Dlstrict-Lincoln, Chavez anC
Eddy counties, one representative.
L. BRADFORD PRINCE,
Governor of New Mexico
BY the Governor.
B. M. THOMAS, Secretary.
!; MEMORANDUM FILED WITH CERTIFICATE OF
APPoRTIoNMEkT, MARCH 81, 1891.
The duty imposed upon the governor
by sections 1920 and 1921 of the Com.
piled Laws, on failure of the legislature
to apportion the territory for Legislative
purposes, is difficult and delicate one,
and in order to avoid any msconception
it seems proper to state the principles
which have governed in making the ap.
pOrtionment low filed.
The United States law provides for a
council of IL, and house of representa-
tives of "a members. The population oil
the territory, as returned by the late
census, is l53,076, and the representative
population, found by deducting the
humber of non.voting Indians, soldiers,
etc., amounts to about $4,000. Each
member of the council therefore repre-
sents about 1900 Of representative popu-
lation, and each member Of the house
about + 900. There would be no Difficult
ty in making districts OF exactly equal
voting strength if it were not for county
lines but these can not be disregarded,
and no county can be divided in making a
district. In some cases, such as San
Miguel county, where the population is
almost exactly $4,000, the division is
easy, as it is obviously entitled to two
councilmen and four representatives.
The same may be said Of Santa Fe and
Valencia, each OF which is plainly emit.
tied to one councilman and two repre-
sentatives. But in the case of the four
counties containing about 5000 each,
more difficult problem is presented, as
} each is entitled to one and half mem.
bers of the Eouse and three.fourths of q
member of the council. In such cases,
lone member of the house has been ap-
pointed to each county by itself, and the
fractions grouped together to form a dis
trict for the election OF another. In TWO
cases the population OF county is much
too small even to entitle it to one repre-
sentative; these being Sierra with 1885
inhabitants, and San Juan with but l $3.50.
In such cases it was Of course necessary
to unite those counties with others in
order to make q district. AS Lincoln,
Chaves and Eddy counties, comprising
the old county of Lincoln, contain all to-.
gether but 1908 people; they were nee
essarily grouped together in the appor-
tionment of both houses. The principle
that every county having sufficieHG
population to entitle it to elect that mei..o
Der, by itself, free from outside interfer-
ence caused by grouping counties toget1-
er, has been adhered to wherever prac-
ticable, only the fractions being used, as
a rule, is the formation of joint districts.
This ensures fair representation to ev-
ery section better than any other system,
and provides fully,for local independence
IN that representation.
San Juan county might have been at
tached to Bernallllo county instead of to
Rio Arriba and Taos; but it's political con-
nection has always been with the latter,
and it has at times been q part of each of
those counties, while it has not been