The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-16
ALL BACK BUT T|ERN[Y.
The Joint Assembly Yesterday Wit
messed Almost a Straight
Party Vote
The Meagher County Democrat,
However, Voted for Thos.
Couch, OF Butte.
Faee OF the Apportionment Inhibition
Normal Schoo bill Passes the
Senato-Tho House.

Party lines we're pretty we'll adhered &c
In the joint assembly yesterday. Repre-.
voted for . gentleman of the opposite polit'
ioal faith. There were only " absentees,
MoDonel and Tallant, so that tho total
vote was within two Of being the full
strength Of the legislature. Mantle lacked
six votes OF an election and Clark twelve.
For the frst time since the balloting began
Sanders did not receive . vote, but Cartsl
got one, that of Coder. Tierney voted for
Couch.
The senate yesterday CONQUERED In the
house bill locating the state normal school
at Dillon. Hoffman introduced IN import
n bill, by the terms Of which the state
board of education is 80 select sites for she
stste educational institutions from the
school or the public lands OF the state.
Steele's bill TO establish q state bureau of
health and vital statistics was u~nfavorably
reported from committee and indefinitely
postponed.
The house, in committee OF the whole.
took up tho bill to submit to the people the
question Of a constitutional amendment
reapportioninQ the state into s~enty sena-
torial and sixty-ons representative dis
tricts, on the basis of population. Tho
smaller counties opposed it. as they said
the effect would be to out them out of a
state senator apiece. They were beaten,
however, in committee OF the whole, by a
vote Of twenty-ons ayas to twenty-ei9ht
nays on a motion to strike out the enactinR
clause. 1t WAS only n partial victory for
tho friends Of the bill. nevertheless, az the
vote In committee shows that unless they
gain aceessions TO their ranks they cannot
pass the measure. The vote was a large
one for q committee of the whole. being
within six of the full membership of the
house. 1t takes q two-thirds vote in each
branch of the legislative assembly to pro-
pose . constitutional amendment.
Giving tho friends Of the reappor-
tionmens bill all the six absentees and
their strength would be thitty-four, which
thirds. The bill says the Legislature shall
provide by law for an enumeration Of the
inhabitants of the state every ten years
after 1895. and that at the session next fol-
lowing tho census, and also At the session
following a federal census. shall revise and
adjust the apportionment for senators and
representatives on the basis of such
enumeration, according to the ratio TO be
fixed by law. The section of the bill
which dxes the basis of representation ID
known a. an amendment to section three
Of article six Of tho constitution, aad il az
follows:
For the purpose Of choosing members Of
the legislature, the state shall DO divided
int twenty senatorial, and sixtv-one rep
resentative districts. a. nearly equal in
population ~ may be. and composed Of
continuous territory, to be called senatorial
and representative districts. Each ssna-
torial district shall elect one senator. and
each representative district shall elect one
member of the house of representatives.
The senatorial districts shall be numbered
from N TO twenty inclusive, in the numsr-
ioal order, and the representative districts
shall be numbered from one to s~i1ty-one
inclusive, in the same order, commanding
at the northern boundary Of the state and
ending at the southern boundary thereof.
In the formation Of such district no county
or city and county shall be divided unless
IL contains sufficient population within
itself to form two or moro districts; nor
shall . part Of any county. or OF any
city and county be united with any county
or city and county in forming any district.
The enumeration taken in the year 1896, as
provided in this article. shall be the basis
of fixing and adjusting the senatorial and
representative districts herein provided for.
and the legislature shall: at its first session
after such enumeration, and after each
other enumeration herein provided for,
establish, adjust and Rpportion tho repre-
sentation 50 Is to preserve the senatorial
and resentative districts respectively. as
nearly equal in population as may be, but
in making such adjustment no persons who
are not eligible to become citizens Of tbs
United states under tina naturalization
laws, shall be eountsd as forming part OF
the population OF any district"