Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-06-18
THAT'S WHAT THE DEMOCRATS
WANT TO KNOW.
APPoRTloNMENT ATTACKED
State Senator Michael Kruszka Files a
Petition with the Attorney General
to Test the Constitutionaiity of the
Measure Passed by the Legislature
in Special Session.
Madison. June 10. 1896.

the attorney general yesterday request
ing him to move the supreme court at
its next session, June 10, for an order
granting him permission to bring suit
in that tribunal to enjoin the secre-
tary of state from carrying the last
apportionment law into effect. The at
torneys for the petitioner are Senator
William F. Villas, Burr W. Jones and
George G. Greene, the last of Green
Bay. Greene assisted in the legal an
nulment of two democratic gerry
manders in 1892.
The two principal POINTS made by
the petition seem to be that the law is
unconstitutional because passed at a
special session of the legislature, and
secondly, because it violates the con-
stitutional rule that the senate and
assembly districts of the state shall
be formed of contiguous territory with
populations as nearly equal as possible.
AS to the first point it is contended that
the governor had no power to call
special session for The sole purpose of
passing an apportionment bill and that
as a consequence the legislature when
so called had no power to pass any
bill. On this ground it is contended
that the power to pass an apportion-
ment bill is unconstitutional and void
regardless of the fact whether it has
violated the rules as to contiguity of
territory and equality of population or
not.
The petition sets forth the fact that
large number of people have practi-
cally been DISTINGUISHED as far as the
coming election for members of the
state senate is concerned by being
transferred to other senatorial districts
in which they will not have the right
to vote for a state senator for at least
two years, while in the districts in
which they were placed by the old
for state senators at the coming cleo
ton in as much as they have not voted
for senator's since the election of 1892,
The greater portion of the petition
is devoted to d detailed consideration
of the various districts of the state in
which the rule as to contiguity of ter
ritory and that as to equality of popu-
alton has been violated. For example
til" seventeenth senatorial district,
watch consists of the counties of La
Fafette, Green and the southern por-
tion of Rock, extends considerably
more than half way across the south
ern boundary of the state, while in
Rock county the district is no where
north to south and for a distance of
eighteen miles at its extreme eastern
end ii is but six miles in width from
north TO south.
Among the other Objectionable SEN
ate districts are the ninth, in which
Wood county is joined to the other
counties which form the district by
only narrow strip OF territory eight
miles in width while its extreme south
eastern portion lies adjacent to the ex-
IRENE northwestern portion of Adams.
The eleventh district, composed OF
Polk Burnett and Douglas counties,
is a long narrow district, 104 miles in
length which is at no place more than
forty miles in width and is at several
places but little more than ten miles
in width.
The senate districts Of the state vary
in size from 66.977, the fourteenth dis
trict, to AZ ,449, the twenty-third dis
trict, total variance between the
largest and smallest district of 1888,
OF the unit Of representation in the
senate districts. A number of other
districts are also mentioned which
vary largely from this unit Of repre-
sentation. Considering the senate dis
tricts upon the basis of their total rep
resentation in both houses Of the state
legislature. it is shown that several
districts were so formed by the last
apportionment act that they have a
greater representation in the legisla-
ture than do other senate districts of
the state which have two or three
thousand more people within their
borders than do those districts which
have been especially favored by the
act.
1t is also set ont that little attention
has been paid by the present apportion-
ment act to the number OF assemiy
districts which are grouped together to
form one senate district The appor
tionment act which has just been re-
pealed SO grouped tht assembly dis
tricts that in every case but one each
senate district was formed of three as
sembly districts, while in the present
bin number of senate districts are
formed OF or 4 assembly districts
which has resulted In great inequali-
ties In population It is also shown
that in several cases the older counties
of the southern portion of the state
have had their representation reduced
iii order to give larser representation
to some of the northern counties. This
is especially true q Dane county.
which had its representation reduced