The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-28
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER IS, 1894.
CONSTITUTIONAL APPoRTIONMENT.

CONSTITUTIONAL APPORTIONMENr.
In the course Of its last plea for honest
apportionment'' at an unlawful time. the
Journal laments that the constitution Is
not stronger and clearer in Its terms as TO
apportionment. 1t is certainly clear enough
IN rs provision that the appointment
shall be made every six years. but the
republicans will pay no attention to that.
1t may be proftably remembered. however,
that the whole trouble about gerrymander-
ing In this, and. indeed. in every other
state where there is any trouble. is con-
stttutionaI It arises from the absurd
effort to make representation exactly pro-
portional to population, which not only
cannot be DONE but also ought not be
done. No one ever heard Of a gerry
mander IN any state where this was not
attempted, except we should so call the
failure 10 reapportion in states Ike Con-
necticut, where the unfairness consists Of
a refusal to reapportion at all. The Idea
Of Individual representation Is fallacious
and delusive offshoot from the American
idea Of community representation. Taxa
tion without representation" IS term
which applies to communities, not indi-
viduals Our laws have always taxed in
dfviduals who were not represented-rni-
nors, women, insane persons and others.
The natural basic community Of the
American states Is the county, and In no
state Is this more true than in Indiana.
The laws put almost all public business
on a county basis. The courts are so
organized The whole work Of collecting
taxes is on that basis. The public land
records are county records. The county
seat is the center for all the titles Of prop
erty. for the management Of local affairs
that come closest to the individual, for the
enforcement Of all civil and criminal laws.
This county community of legal interests
is so strong that other matters are usually
arranged on a county basis also. The
agricultural interests have been grouped
by counties. The county fair, the county
agricultural and horticultural societies and
the county live stock associations are com
mon institutions. Politics is conducted on
a basis of county organization. Medical
and bar associations are usually county
associations. The schools have a county
organization and county supervision.
Therefore. each county has interests Of its
own which make it desirable that it should
have representation of its own in the
law-makine body, but under our system
there is no provision for this, and we seek
only for representation Of individuals
without regard to the harmony of their
interests.
The Sentinel has long contended for
constitutional change which would give
representation to the county. 1t cannot
be done without a constitutional change,
but it can be easily done by a constitu-
tionaI change, which would end forever all
gerrymanders. The mode Is simple. All
that is necessary is to give each county
one representative. and give the larger
counties additional representation in pro-
portion 70 excess above average county
ton is the national census. To illustrate,
the population Of Indiana by the last CEN
sus is 2,192, 4O4. Taking 100 as an average
size Of the house Of representatives we
would have p, 924 as the basis Of average
representation, and the larger counties
could be given one representative for each
p, 1924 inhabitants or large fraction of that
number. say. three-fourths or two-thirds.
With such a constitutional provision there
could never be any controversy about ap-
portionment- Ninety-two districts would
be fixed absolutely and the remainder
would be fixed by mere mathematical pro-
cess. Senatorial apportionment would be
more complicated, but It could easily be
brought within safe bounds.
If the republicans desire to put an end
to gerrymanders. and establish a system
of apportionment that will be always fair
and always satisfactory, they must begin
with the constitution, either by amendment
or by a call for a constitutional conven-
ton. Anything less than that is false pre-
II the legislature makes an apportionment
it will be a republican gerrymander. 1t
may not be so bad as some formerly made
by that party, and it may be worse, but it
will be a gerrymander. The fight on that
question was not made from principle, but
in order to gain a partisan advantage.
And no sane person expects the republican
party to fail to take that advantage.
There will be a great deal of talk about
fair apportionment, but it will not be fair.
But this is a good time for those who
really desire fair and rational apportion-
ment to press for constitutional change.
TARIFFS COMPARED.
All who are interested in tariff reform
will be glad to know that the tariff reform
committee of the Reform club has pre-
pared an extra number of Tariff Re
form" which makes an infeIlipibIa com