The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-05
APPORTIONMENT BILL.
Republicans Can show 30 Votes for
1t i'm the House.


A test vote in the House Yesterday morn
ing demonstrated the fact that the Repub-
licans can pass their apportionment bill in
That body without difficulty In a contest
over a committee report the measure re-
celyed ffty-one affirmative votes, the
speaker not being called upon to vote The
Republican majority of the committee on
legislative apportionments reported the
caucus measure favorably, the Democratic
members of the committee, Messrs. Marsh.
Claycomb and kayser submitting a minor
ity report against it. This report did not
attempt to thoroughly analyze the meas
ure, but contented itself with the declara-
uon that II was partisan and unconstitu-
tiona1- AS soon 1t submitted a
motion was made To table the minority re-
port, and the Democrats, of course de-
manded a roll call. Some of the members
were absent, among them Mr.. Thomas
VIII who has been reported as opposed to the
Dill. Mr.. Babcock voted to table the minor
ity report though he has been a very warm
opponent of the bill on account of the hard
luck that Lagrange and Steuben counties
nave in the measure. Mr.. Butler of Steu-
ben. was the only Republican who voted
against tabling the minority report and
he said he did so in order that he might
take that occasion to express his disap-
prevail of the way his county was treated in
the bill. The motion to table was carried
by vote of IS to 40.
The whips of both sides had been busy
bringing in the absent members and when
the question OF adopting the majority re-
port was put nearly all were on the floor.
though MIR. Thomas could not be found
There was no discussion of the report and
Mr. Butler voted with the Republicans for
It's adoption. The vote stood 81 to "A. 1t
requires fifty-one votes to pass the bill,
and the ffty-one votes recorded yesterday
in favor of the bill did not include that of
the speaker. 1t thus appears that the
measure is safe in the House. and there
Will, of course. be no trouble about passing
II in the Senate.
Thinks the Caucus Measure Unfair.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
Like most everybody in Indiana 1 am
greatly interested in the passage of an
honest, fair and just legislative apportion-
ment law. The bill as agreed to in caucus
is so far from being honest, fair and Just
that am justiflable in pointing out the fea-
lures OF it that, TO me, are not honest, fair
and Just In doing this will only take one
of the many similar features of the bill
Judge Coffey says in his opinion in the
Henry county case, reported in 133d In
diana that THE purpose in requiring the
enumeration is to fix the number of voters
In each county at the time the apportion-
ment is made. in order that the Legislature
may form districts so as TO secure to each
voter, as nearly as may be. an equal voice
with every other voter in the State. in
the selection of senators and representa-
tives." Now, let us apply this rule to the
bill reported. The basis of representation
in the House Is 6,210 votes, and districts are
10 be formed as nearly as may be that will
comprise approximately 6.270 voters: i'm do
ing this great care should be used in pre-
serving the integrity or county lines. For
example. take the legislative district COM
posed of the counties of Vanderburg. Glib
son and Knox; here We have a district COM
prising voting population of 81 1856 Every
one of which is entitled to a vote for the
one representative of the district, thus re-
curing a candidate TO receive, in order TO
be elected, 1o.599 votes. or 9,329 more than
the basis of representation. And this is
done that the excess in the three counties
of 6,116 shall have representative. Any
one viii admit. which is Il fact. that the
voters of Gibson county are less in number
than those of Steuben and Lagrange. Yet
this bill gives the voters of Gibson county
n vote for two representatives, and the
nearly nine thousand voters in Steuben and
Lagrange. Jointly. only n vote for one
This is true i'm several other Districts in the
OF excess OF voters over the basis i'm Steu-
ben and Lagrange is much larger. when
compared with the voting population of the
two districts. than Is that in Nanderburg
Gibson and Knox. This does not give every
voter an equal voice in the selection of q
representative. and it is wrong. The right
thing 10 do is to take the floating repre-
sentative down there and give IL 10 Steuber
or Lagrange. and every other place where
there is float" should he served the
same way. To give an honest. fair and just
appOrtionment there should not be n lOp-
over district in the State. / am not much
of a constitutional lawyer. but it strikes
me that If there IL an unconstitutional fea-
ture about the whole business Ii is the
merging of districts. Two men will rep.
resent Vanderhurg county to much better
advantage than one man can represent
Steuben aid Lagrange with nearly three
thousand excess of voters over the basis
1t will be a dark day for the Republicans OF
this county when such a mOnstrOus meas
IRE becomes law. | hope and think that
there are fair-minded men enough in the
present House to defeat this attempt tC
disfranchise as loyal lot Of Republicans
as ever existed That this will he done viii
be our constant prayer.
EMORY @. MELENDY.
Fremont. Ind. Feb. T.