The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-01-25

the first royal combat an the couhtli
took place Immediately following the
adverse report OF the committee on
elections on Council 9ir No. 20, en-
titsed IAN act 70 apportion the terri
tory OF Oklahoma into council and rep
rtsentative districts.
Mr. Clarke Immediately arose and
submitted the following:
Minority Report.
Mr.. President--we the undersigned
members OF the committee on cleo
tions. having had under consideration
Council Bill No. 30. being unable to
ngree with the majority Of sal com
mittee, beg leave to submit the loilow-
ing minority report;
We believe that an apportionment of
The territory Of Oklahoma into coun-
Gil and representative districts should
be made at the present session of the
legislature. and without expressing an
opinion as to the details OF the bin
under consideration OF as 10 the partic-
niar districts laid out for legislative
provisions, we desire to urge the fol-
lowing reasons for the making Of such
an apportionment at this session OF
the legislature and to call attention
TO the good general features Of the bill
under consideration.
Flrst--An apportlonment ought,to be
made. because no Gpportionment OF
the territory has been made since 1896,
and the present apportionment is un-
fair TO a large portion OF our people.
Since it was made, the territory, and
especially its western and southwest.
ern parts have greatly Increased in
population, and those parts have not
tieir props-tionate share of represen-
tltiou under the present law upon the
statute books. As an example OF the
great disparity in population existing
under the present apportionment law,
the Thirteenth council district now
contains 10000 inhabitants, while the
Seventh contains only about $4,000;
and there are several other districts
having but little more population The
Twenty-ffth representative district
contains nearly 10000 inhabitants.
while the Twenty-sixth ana Fourteen
Il. dist lets have only about 10000
each. Such inequalities ought not to
be permitted 20 exist and we feel they
should be remedied; and the bill Will
remedy all such glarlng inequalities.
Second The law passed IN 1895 was
such manifest gerrymander, and the
counties of the territory were SO hor-
ribly cut and slashed IN order 20 make
the districts established by It, that It
IL Inconyenient for the people con.
cerned and as we believe against their
best interests. Under IL. constituencies
ct common interests are thrown into
districts with diverse and opposing in.
tereBts and the result is confusion and
Inconvenience This bill does not cut
single county line In the territory
in order to make a district. The dis
/, tricts are compact and so arranged as
10 be convenient and accessible, and
we believe that measure districtlne
the territory upon such basis would
greatly tead to the best luleresls OF
the people OF Oklahoma
ThGd-From a political point oI
view the bill Is unobjectionable. a
computation Of the vote in the dis
tricts created by It shows that IN,
council elected under Il would have
the same political status as the pres
cnt council, and the membership Of
the house would be only slightly
changed, using the vote upon council
man and representatives OF the cleo
tion held in November. 1900. as q
basis. We believe Il To be a fair and
thoroughly non-partisan measure.
Fourth--lt Is reasonably certain that
the Wichita reservation and the Kiowa
and Comanche reservation will be
opened TO settlement before another
lsglslature can meet The law OF
1895. makes no provision for that re
gion to be representedi the present
bin makes adequate provision FOR such
representation. II IS cutie certain that