Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-21
APPORTIORMENT
For Ohio General Assembly for Next Ten
Years.

IcQiSi
Now that the federal census Of Ohio
has been announced by counties, there
is much interest in the apportionment
of members of the legislature to the
various counties of the state. The
state constitution provides how this
shall be done, and designates that the
apportionment shall be made by the
governor, auditor of state and secre-
tary of state, all of whom are Republi-
cans. There is not much possibility,
however, for them to gain any party
advantage in the apportionment Of
members of the lower house, for the
in its provisions as to what shall be
done that the commission cannot do
anything else. But in the appOrtion.
ment of senatorial districts there is an
opportunity for fine manipulation and
party advantage, especially in the an
neXing of joint districts. In other
words, the constitution, whilequita ex,
plicit as to the general principles to be
followed, leaves some option to the
commission as to the apportionmentin
senatorial districts, in the joining of
certain Democratic counties to other
counties having large Republican ma
jorities.
Under the constitution of the state,
the apportionment is made every ten
years The whole population of the
state as ascertaiued by the federal
census is divided by 100, the consitu-
tion naming this multiple, the quo
tient being the ratio of representation
for ten years next succeeding the ap-
portionment. Every county having a
population equal to one-half of the
ratio shall be entitled 10 representa-
tiOn, while any county having a less
population than required by the new
ratio for a representative, shall be
attached to the county adjoining it,
having the least number of inhabi-
tants." Any county, containing such
ratio, and three-fourths over, shall be
entitled TO two representatives. every
county containing three times said ra-
ito, as for instance Cuyahoga Hamil-
ton, Lucas, Franklin, Montgomery and
others shall be entitled to three rep
resentatives, requiring after the first
two, an entire ratio for each additional
representative.
ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIVE.
When a county shall have fraction
above the ratio, so large, that being
multiplied by FIVE, the result shall be
equal to one or more. ratios, additional
representatives shall be apportioned
for such ratios, among the several ses-
sions Of the decennial period. Where
county gains one additional member,
the new member is allotted to the fifth
session; if two, a representative shall
be allotted to the fourth and third ses-
sions; if three, to the third, second and
first sessions, respectively; if four, to
the fourth, third second and first ses-
sions, respectively. This explains why
some of the counties, as shown in the
table given below, will have a larger
representation at some sessions than
at others,
HOW RATIO is OBTAINED.
The total population of the state as
shown by the last federal census is
4,157,545, which, when divided by the
multiple 100, fixes the ratio at 41,575;
but counties having a population equal
to one-half the ratioare entitled to one
representative also. The census figures
show that nine counties, Geauga, Pike
Carroll, Morrow, Vinton, Noble, Nor
gan, Holmes and Madison fall below
hall the ratio, and under theapporti0n-
ment will be attached to the smaller
adjoining counties as shown below OF
these counties, Holmes, Morgan Noble
and Madison lose representation of
their own because of lack of growth
during the last decade to give them
population equal to one-half of the
new ratio, while Ashland, Delaware
and Fayette, which have also had
separate representation, lose their
members because of unfortunate con-
tiguous positions, which attaches them