Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-02-21

In his recent address on "Constitu-
tlonal Reform" before the members OF
the Interchange Club at the New
Century Club rooms, in touching upon
the topic of representation, Edward G.
Bradford said:
Many and grave questions will be pre-.
sented TO the coming convention. Prob
ably the most important of them will
relate to the matter of representation. The
most fundamental requirement of repub-
lican form of government is the fair rep
resentation of the people in the law max
ing body of the State. And fair represent
tation is necessarily representation based
upon population, and approximately i'll
proportion to the population of the respec-
tive voting districts. say approximately,
because an exact apportionment in accord
ance with population is unattainable, and
special and peculiar circumstances may in
some instances require q slight departure
from the general principle. But the rule
must be representation according to num-
bers, and any departure from its observ-
ance must be treated as the exception and
afford cogent reasons for its tsjustification.
Such equality of representation is a
logical necessity, resulting from the nature
and functions of republican form of
government. For such government is
the political instrument by which equal
men, possessing equal rights and imbned
with the principles of American liberty.
are to govern and protect themselves and
their interests.
The right to vote must exist But that is
not enough. Our property, our liberty
and our lives are subject to the peryasive
and sovereign power OF legislation. The
right to be heard, through our chosen
representatives, in the legislative halls
must therefore exist. Yet that is not
enough. We are American freemen,
recognizing the dignity and equality of our
common humanity, and Jealous in the
maintenance of our individual liberties
and civil equality. Then the right to equal
representation must exist and the voice of
the majority must control. Justice de-
mands It. To deny it is tyranny This is
no new or strange doctrine. The trainers
of the Declaration of Rights in this State
in 1T76 declared that the right in the peo-
pie To participate in the legislature Is the
Foundation of liberty and of all freegovcrn-
ment." And in our existing Constitution
we find the statement, already quoted,
that "all Just authority in the institutions
of political society is derived from the
people and established with their consent
TO advance their happiness. These declara,'
tions are instinct with the spirit Of civil
and political equality.
Does or does not the present condition OF
representative government in Delaware
conform to the elementary principles
which should underlie republican form
ofgovernment? Pardon me for briefly re
ferring to some historical facts and statis
tics. Under the Constitution of 1276 the
General Assembly was composed of two
coordinate branches called the Council
and the House of Representatives.; the
Council largely corresponding in its func
tions with the State Senate of more recent
times. The several counties were each
entitled to the same number OF members
of the Legislative Council and OF the
House of Representatives. namely, three o
the former and seven of the iatter. So
under the Constitutions of lT02 and ls3
the several counties have each been repre-
srnted in the General Assembly by thre,
Senators and seven Representatives-tht
same representation as exists to-day. Th
measure OF representation accorded to TIN
people OF the several counties by the Con
stitutions of 1776 and 1892 was just; for i
appears by the United States census o
1900 that the population of the respectiv
counties was approximately equal; that o
New Castle county being l9,6SS; Of Kent
1890, and of. Sussex, 20, 4SS.
The constitution of 1881 established
substantial inequality of representation O
the people of the several counties, but nc
such as greatly to shock ones sense q
population TO be i'll New Castle count
20,720, in Kent 1898 and in Sussex ~, II
But by 1850 the growth of the State ha
produced glaring disparity in the popt
lation of the several counties; New Castl
then having AZ, 7S0 Kent -, SIG and SUISSE
25.536. And although the constitution {
framed by the convention of 1852 accorde
to New Castle county IL members of I'll
House of Representatives, to Kent s. and I
Sussex 0, and increased the number of Sci
ators from each county from three to lou
such was the widespread indignation
what was considered an inadequate mea
ure of representation that the people r.
jected the proposed constitution largel
upon that ground.
Since that time owing principally to tn
growth of the city Of Wilmington, u
system of representation provided by I'll
existing Constitution has become we
nigh intolerable. The census of 1St
shows the following as the population {
the several counties New Castle, ", 10
Kent, 32,664, and Sussex 3S,6H. Thu
New Castle county had in that year Il
excess of population over the other tw
counties combined, amounting to 25,S
persons, and yet had and has only on
third of the total representation III u
General Assembly. In 1880 New Cast
county had one Senator for each ~,
persons and one Representative for eaC
had one Senator for each lO,SSS persol
and one Representative for each 1866 pc
sons in her populations; and Sussex hf
one Senator for each 19,SS2 persons al
i. one Representative for each 5,52l persoI
in her population. And to-day. owing
/, the rapid increase of population Ill Nc
Castle county since 1880, the disproportit
IN representation IS even more glarll
than it was in that year
Thus, as the sovereign legislative pow
of the people is exercised through the
representatives and is measured, as
tween the several countless by the repl
sentation accorded them respectively
the legislature. the political power of Il
individual citizen of New Castle county I
the protection of his rights and interests
less than one-third of that OF the citizen
Kent, and barely more than one-third
that of the citizen OF Sussex. 1t is Il q
tesoue absurdity under any political sl
TEN claiming the title OF popular self-gt
ernment. Are the several counties 50 ma
independent soveregntles claiming
legiance from their respective citizens, u
through their representatives uniting
the General Assembly as II Confederatl
of republics? Are not all of lis citizens
the State of Delaware, equal in our co
mon manhood, and entitled to an equal
of civil rights and an equal voice. throu
our representatives in the protection OF {
lives, our liberties and our property, un,
our common government?
Should not legislation be an eXpressi
of the will of the State, and is not the y
of the State derived from the will of
citizens as persons? Does not the OF
method of ascertaining and enforcing
will of the people upon any given SUBJ