Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-03-05

bill, IL would fall more upon the forma-
ton of the senatorial districts than of
the assembly districts. 1t Is equally
true that the problem presented to the
legislature of forming senatorial dis
tricts which will be satisfactory to the
PEOPLE and yet within the limi-
tations and requirements of the
constitution Is not an easy problem
The first requirement in senatorial
districts Is the same as in assembly
districts, to-wit: equality of representa-
ticn. 1t is to be noticed that the re-
duirement of compactness in regard
to assembly districts Is not applicable
to that of senatorial districts. The re-
Cuirements of the constitution in adj
dition to population and the division
of assembly districts is convenience
and contiguty, instead of contiguity
and compactness, as in assembly dis
tricts. No senatorial district contains
population exceeding the senatorial
unit by more than S,340, which is less
than one-half of the assembly unit
While the legislature ought to keep this
excess above the senatorial limit as
low as possible, | am Of the opinion
that no senate district can be said to
be unconstitutional on account of any
excess of population.
! There are three senatorial districts,
tO-wit: Numbers 10, 13 and %, which
contain a population less than two and
one-half assembly units. Assembly
district number 10, composed of st.
Croix and Pierce counties, contains a
population OF 4S,910, making 9,237 less
than the senatorial unit. An inspec-
tion of the map will show that 1t Is in
possible to form an assembly district
adjoining this senatorial district, and
which could be added to it, which
would not make senatorial district
as much larger than the unit as 1t now
is smaller. Every map of apportion
mcnt which has been made by any
committee, or proposed by any memborI
of the legislature so far as this Office
is informed, comedies that this ditIictl
must stand as now constituted. Sen
ate district number Is contains a
population of AZ ,351, and lacks 1926
of containing the population equal to
the senatorial unit. The smallest sen
atoriaI district in the State is number
%, which contains a population Of A.
449, and lacks Il population OF lO,3SS to
equal the senatorial unit. These two
districts are possibly subject to criti |
clsm but when the other constitutional
requirements are taken into c0nsidera-
tion, am of the opinion that 1t cannot
be said to violate the constitution
within the rules hcrcinbeforo cited.
and therby render void the whole act
of apportonment, within the proper
exercise of the legislative discretion, !
the legislature have undoubtedly found !
II necessary In order to comply with the
constitutional requirements OF convent
once and Contiguity, to frame these
districts in the manner they have.
Some objection has been made TO
the senator apportionment by com
pairing 40 population Of the largest
district with that of the sr St. A
moments re hection will show hat this
comparison is unjust and unfair The
districts so compared are widely sep
of intervening assembly and senate dis
tricts many conditions and consitu
tlonal requirements have been ncces-
Sarily taken into account, which II con
sldercd will no doubt fully explain Thu
apparent discrepancy. The constltu-
ton contains not only the command
chat the legislature shall apporton the
state according to the number of in
habitants,' but the legislature Is also
positively required to take into con
sidcraton in the formation of assembly
districts the fact that such districts
must be bounded by county, precinct,
town or ward lines. to consist of con-
tiguous territory and to be in as com
pact form as practicable, ana in the
formation of senate districts that the
districts be of convenient contiguous
territory, and that no assembly dis
trict shall be divided in the formation
Of senate districts. In my Judgment
this Is no violation of any COnStitu-
tional requirement in the formation OF
this bill as would call for the exercise
of the veto bill"
Legislature.
The formal proceedings in both
houses were very short. They first
met at 10 o'clock and as ii was an
nouncrd that the message OF the gov
ernor was not yet ready an adjourn
mont was taken until 1870 o'clock. 1t
was, however. / 40 before the houses
got to order In the senate there were
present only Lieut. Gov. Baensch, Sen
4 ors Weeks, Spensley, Mills, Baxter,
BashfOrd Putnam and Stebbins, while
in the house there were just ten mem
bers present by count when the mes
sage of the governor was read. Among
those in attendance besides Speaker
burrows were Assemhlymcn Hall, Ack-
erman. llirschinger lamberson, Ham
bright, Burke and Wolf. After the
message of the governor had been read