The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-16
MORE WARDS PROPOSED
Judge Webb Thinks There
Should Be Six.
This Would Mean Two More
COuncilmen,
And an Increase in the Number Of
Members of the Board Of Educa-
ton to Twelve.

Go the Editor of The State Journal.
AS the legislature at its approaching
session viii redistrict the state for rep
resentative purposes, the city council
should take proper action, and straight
en- the ward lines of Topeka, If nothing
more. But would it not be well to in
crease the number of wards2 The pop
ulation Of Topeka is now about $4,000
Before the state election there We're
more than 5000 voters registered and
at said election nearly 5000 votes We're
cast The vote for presidential electors
was divided between the five wards as
follows. First ward, l,4s3; Second
ward. 212O, Third ward. LIS, Fourth
ward. 1850: Fifth ward, 7S0-total, u
81 1t will be seen that the Second
ward contains nearly three times as
many voters as the Fifth. and that the
Third and Fourth wards respectively
cast more than twice as many votes as
the Fifth ward, While the FIRST 8 ara
cast nearly twice as much as the Fifth
Section nine of the city charter lpar-
agraph 553 of Gen. Stat. of 1889 pro
vides, that each city Of the hrst-class
shall be divided into not less than four
nor more than six wards, to be as near
~ equal in population as possible-the
territory of each ward to be continuous
well be changed. Five wards of con-
EgUous and compact territory conven-
1ent size. and SO bounded as to avoid
any possible confusion with respect 70
representative or commissioner dis
trlcts, or the creation of election pre-
cIncts. can easily be formed out of the
present four wards south of the river
To this end have prepared the form
of an ordinance. which trust you viii
print for the infOrma ton Of your read
eTs generally as well as the members
of the city council. The proposed change
would divide and locate the vote Of the
four wards south of the river as fol-
lows; Second ward 1865; Third ward.
$50 Fourth ward, l40O; Fifth ward,
Job; Sixth ward, 1.0O0-tOtaI 6.338- The
vote of the First ward was 1913 Out
side of the city the vote for president
was 4.sI5, making the total vote in the
county IL .693.
Another consideration. Six of the
western counties viii each lose a rep
resentative by their failure to cast $50
votes at the last general election Shaw
nee county viii doubtless gain one rep
Tesentauve in the superintendent act
OF 1897 Increasing the number of
wards to six, VIII be OF great import
ance. The county can be divided into
four convenient representative dis
IrIctss with approximate vote as fol-
lows. All territory north Of the river,
one district, {, 800 votes; the Second and
Third wards. one district. 1925 votes;
the Fourth. Fifth and Sixth wards. a
third district, 3,41S votes; and all south
Of the river. and outside Of the city,
fourth district. S.05S.
The following boundaries are sug-
gested for the proposed six wards.
The First ward shall include all that
portion of the city of Topeka lying
north of the center Of Kansas river
The Second ward shall EN- brace or
include that part of said city lying
south Of the center Of Kansas river,
east of the center of Kansas avenue.
north of the center of Sixth avenue. and
west of the eastern boundary of said
The Third ward shall embrace or in
clude that part of said city lying south
Of the center of Sixth avenue, east of
the center of Kansas avenue. north of
q If off nd
west Of the eastern boundary OF said
city.
The Fourth ward shall embrace or
include that part of said city lying
south Of the center of Kansas river,
north of the center of Seventh street
and west of the center of Kansas ave
nue., to the western boundary Of said
The Fifth ward shall embrace or in
Clude the territory lying within the fol-
lowing boundaries. Commencing at
the center Of Seventh street west and
the center of Western avenue, where
said street and avenue cross each 9th
ers running thence easterly along the
center or Seventh street to the center
of Kansas avenue. thence sOutherlv
along the center of Kansas avenue to
the southern boundary of said city,
thence west and westerly following the
southern boundary of said city. to the
center of Union avenue produced. thence
north along the west line of the fair
grounds to Euclid avenue thence north
and nOrtheasterly along the center of
Western avenue to the place of begin
ming excepting out of the lands SO in
cluded the two unplatted tracts known
as the DOuthitt tracts. and the tract
known as the fair grounds
The Sixth ward shall mbrace or in
clude all that part of said city which
lies south and southwest of the center
OF Seventh street,to the southern boun-
dairy of said city. and northwest and
west of the center of Western avenue
and west of the center of Union ave
.Isrr-~
city
w. c.. WEBB.
Topeka Kan, Dec. Is. 1896.
NExv arFvTCAV D04n