The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22

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gia. The smallest twenty-three senate
1 rial districts in population represent
/ 66S,OS3 The other twenty-ode senate
/ rial districts furnishing twenty-one mem
| bers Of the Senate, represent l .i69, 2I0
! people. Practically upon the theory of
/ representation according to population in
/ the Senate, more than 100000 peo-
pie are absolutely DISTINGUISHED
/ Practically, in the Senate of Georgia,
| ONE THIRD OF THB PEOPLE OF GEORGIA
CONTROL
/ the other two-thirds So far rs legisla-
ton is concerned, it must be seen at a
/ glance that certain twenty-three soma
| tOrial districts in Georgia can control
1 every act presented to the Senate for its
/ consideration, and yet represent only one
! third of the people.
! In Joint sessions of the general assem-
/ bly, for the purpose of election by that
/ body this control of the minority be-
comes more decidedly apparent and hurt
/ full.
So long as the people of the state of
! Georgia were closely and firmly uniteu
| upon questions of legislation, and upon
/ political questions, the majority was in
clined to submit readily and easily to this
state of affairs, but it is now apparent
/ that the political situation is changing.
/ The people are restless, dissatisfied and
critical Old lines are being erased, and
/ new algnmcuts are being estab-
! lished Who can'say that the pOlit-
/ ical makeup of the general assem-
/ bly, of Georgia, when it convenes
in 1894 may not be partly composed of 50
members from IS counties or corporations
not demOcraticl Who can say that the
Senate of Georgia in 1894 may not contain
% members from % senatorial districts
not democratic, and who can say that
under such a state of affairs the Demo
+ cratic party in Georgia, with an over
! whelming majority, may not
LOSE THE RIGHT AND POWER
To pass any bills through the general
assembly; may not lose its power with
/ its majority to elect a single Judge, solicit
tor general or United States senator} l
state it as a fact-it is demonstrated by
! the figures contained in this paper-that
| it is possible, within the easy range
| of possibility that more than a million of
! people in Georgia, representing more than
| 100000 democratic voters, may be abso-
| lutely controlled in both branches of the
! general assembly in the selection of every
! Judge and every solicitor general and ev
/ cry United States senator by minority
of 772,0O0 undemocratic people, repre-
scnting less than 163, 900 VO-
tiers. When such state of
affairs as this is liable TO occur, ii is time
! for the democrats of Georgia to recognize
the terrible possibilities of county domi-
| nation.
! In our democratic conventions we fix
/ representation upon the same basis as
! representation is fixed in the House of
! Representatives, of the general assembly.
! We not only put up the minority to accom-
! plish the actual legislation of the state,
| but we put up that same minority TO ac-
| complish the political legislation of
! the Democratic party, and the result is
] that in the lGt GiYtppO there has
never been a state convention, a CON
! greSsiOnal convention, or, so far as | am
| advised a state senatorial convention in
which this same minority has not had the
! power to dominate the majority, and In
/ many unfortunate instances that power
| has been exercised with telling force. So
/ it appears that the Democratic party in
! Georgia, the party that declares every
! where and on all occasions that the funda-
| mental and basic principle of our govern
ment is the control of the majority,
adopts a system of Contriyanccs bywhich
/ it is impossible for that majority to de-
clare itself, and by which the only
| declaration that can reasonably be made
is the declaration of the hopeless mi
nority.
In congressional conventions the same
T. basis of representation is adopted, and
| yet when the day of election comes the
populous counties save from defeat the
very candidate who was chosen against
/ the wishes of the majority.
If we are governmental the people, let
! the people rule; if we are a government
of the counties, let the counties rule, and
! let the day Of the small politician con-
tinue. There is
But ONE WAY OUT OF THE DIFFICULTY
under which the Democratic party in
! Georgia is labOring; there is but one road
to political honor and the perpetuity of
! the government by the people, and that is
| the road that leads to fair and Just rep
rcsentation in the House of Representa-
tiycs of the general assembly of Georgia
according to population. Divide up the
| state into 1873 assembly districts according
! to the eleventh census. Give every 0000
people one representative, and let the
people of Georgia feel and know that the
| commencement of the government of this
state by the people who make il has
| begun
As for representation in the Senate,
while do not insist that no other consid-
Grafton than that of population should
/ enter into the makeup of the Senate, still
some regard should be had for liberal
ratio of representation to population. For
! instance: the E'ortieth senatorial district
! has 17419 population; the Thirty-ffth
senatorial district has lis, 236 population;
/ and each senatorial district has one vote.
| This injustice is too gross and fragrant. II
! can be relieved by giving every 10000
population one senator, with the qualifica-
| ton that no county in the state shall have
more than one senator.
! The constitution of the state of Georgia
! declares that whenever convention of
| the people of Georgia shall be called to
revise or change the constitution, such a
convention shall be based upon popula-
| ton as near as practicable. If the gen
eral assembly of the state Of Georgia has
the political courage and the patriotism
to sink out of sight personal and selfish
ends, let it call convention of the peo-
! pie, based upon a representation accord
! ing TO population, that the people may
! rule WASHINGTON DEssAU,