Middletown transcript., 1897-11-13


the resolution in like manner required thai
a further modification of the membership
from the respective counties should be made
after the census, as well as Of those to be
taken in the future. As matter of fact
however, New Castle county, having re,
gard for the sensibilities of the party in the
lower counties, has meyer chosen to press its
rights under the strict terms of the compact
thus made between the counties, and the
law thus laid down by the party.
Neither Anthony Higgins. the chairman,
of the committee who called the conven-
ton Of 1870. nor James Lewis, the chairman
| who called the convention of 1872 NOR Hen
| ry F. Pickles. the chairman who called the
convention of 1874, each and all of them be
ing from New Castle county undertook to al
ter the basis of representation as ascertain
ed by the census of 1860, aud SO the repre-
sentation from the respective counties, and
from the country hundreds of the state on
the one hand, and of the city Of Whining
ton,o the other, have continued to be call
ed on the basis of the population of 1860,
notwithstanding the TACT that by the census
of 1890 the population of the city of Will
mington had grown to 81; ;431, while that of
the country districts of the state was only
107 .062: and also notwithstanding the fact
that the population of New Cast lie county
had meanwhile grown to 81, 1872, while that
of Kent and Sussex remained at 1864 and
3S, ,647 respectively.
From these facts it is thus made appar-
ent that the Republicans of New Castle
county have never sought to press their
right to equal repr sentatinn to its logical
conclusion, or to extend it beyond the very
limited application made on the basis of
the population of now nearly forty years
ago. 1t may be, therefore, looked upon as
extraordinary that, at this late day. and
under present conditions. men, otherwise
credited with gooi sense, should attempt to
turn back the hand of time, to tear up this
solemn settlement by giving 10 the counties
of Kent and Sussex representation in the
state convention relatively greater than that
accorded to them under the resolution of
1866, as applied on the census of 1860.
The ground upon which this extraordi-
nary and startling proposition of the Union
Republican party is made, is that such &C.
ton is called for by reason of the apportion-
ment of the members of tle Legislature as
made by the new constitution. The amend.
ed constitution gives ten representatives and
five senators to each Of the country districts
of the state, to wit: Sussex county, Kent
and rural New Castle, while it gives to the
city of Wilmington but five representatives
and two senators.
We would be the last to gainsay the enor-
nous advantages and benefits to the state
worked by many of the provisions of the
amended constitution, but we have yet to
hear that the Republicans of the state. those
of New Castle county, or the city of Will
mington have eyer expressed their acquies-
corded by that instrument to the city of
Wilmington. Here is city whose popu-
lation is about two -fifths of that of the
state. The interests of the rural districts
are but slightly diversified, being mainly
agricultural, and raise in the last degree the |
many questions requiring legislation that |
are brought up for settlement by the growth |
of population, and the exigencies of fmodern |
civilization. Such questions, in all their |
large extent and varied character, are pre- |
sented by city as large. as growing. as
as Wilmington, with all its
varied interests in manufactu res, trade, |
and finance, in the administra- |
ton of the law against crime. in its enor-
nous concern in the subject of taxation,
and in many other matters that we will not |
undertake to summarize here.
The Republican pa rty is not responsible |
for the manner in which the constitutional
dealt with the subject of repre-
in the Legislatu re. The Demo-
cratic party had in that body a majority |
of two, majority none the less effective
because it was stolen by their counting out |
the Union Republican ticket elected in Kent |
county. The Democrats of Delawareenj
the distinction of perpetrating the unique
crime of the century in stealing a conven
ton to amend the constitution of the state. |
The settlement by the instrument they
formed Of the representation of the state as
among its respective districts
is the product of that theft. 1t is not the
product of the convictions of the Republi-
cans of the state.
But again it may we'll be asked what has
. Rha tat lok, 10 1<1l
with the relative representation from the
sections of the state in the Re
publican State Convention. The members
of the Legislature are elected from the re-
spectiye districts created by the constitution
while the state convention has no author
ity over the selection of candidates for the
Legislature. Its function is to nominate
state officers, and to formulate the platform
of the state party. While the respective
legislative districts nominate and elect their
own members; the governor, Congressman,
and other state officers now to be elected
under The new instrument can only be cleo
ted by majority of the people throughout
the entire state, and shall it be said that this
majority of the whole people by whom
alone the election can be secured shall sur
render their equal right to representation in
the nominating convention to the minority
of the Republicans of-the state? That the
men in New Castle county, or in the city of
Wilmington shall not have the same right
as one in Kent or Sussex in the selection of
the candidates to be voted for, though his |
vote counts as much in the general result as
theirs do?
The unfairness of this proposition is ag-
gravated when we consider that it is from
New Castle. and particularly from the city |
of Wilmington, that the majority are to be /
looked for, by whom alone state officers can |
be elected. New Castle county and the city |
of Wilmington must be relied on for the |
maiorities, but Kent and Sussex shall do the |
nominating. And the reason given for the
changed system is forsooth, that the stolen
Democratic majority in the constitutional
denied to Wilmington its fair
representation in the Legislature, and tram
pied on the principle to which the Repub-
lican party has committed itself for thirty |