The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-03-15
THE STATE lEGISLATIV AND
SENATORIAL APPOR-
TiONMENT.s'

! The Legislature to convene in May
next will be one of the most import.
ant held in many. years and several
measures. of great. interest. to the
State will come before it for con-
sideration. The. re-districting the
State aud the. re-apportionment OF
members of the general assembly
will be two of the most important
measures to come up. The Baton
Rouge Advocate says:
A matter, hitherto not discussed
by the press, and which promises to
| be the source of much contention be-
fore the general assembly, is the new
apportionment of members OF the
general assembly of the State.
The constitutional convention OF
1898 fixed an arbitrary apportion-
ment, providing for ia representa-
tives and SO senators. But it made
provision for reapportionment by
the legislature at its session in 1902.
Article 18 of the Constitution reads
as follows: ..--
Misrepresentation in, the House of
Representatives shall be equal and
uniform and shall be based upon
population. Each parish and each
ward of the City of New Orleans,
shall have at least one representa-
tive. At its first regular session
after the U. ). census of 1900, and
after each census thereafter, the gen.
eral assembly shall, and is hereby
directed TO apportion the representa-
tive districts on the basis of the total
population shown by such census.
A representative number shall be
fixed, and each parish and represent
tatlve district shall have as many
representatives as such Representa-
tive number is contained in the total
number of the inhabitants of such
parish or representative district, and
one additional representative for
every fraction exceeding one half the
representative number. A
The number of representatives
shall not be more than, l16, nor less
than 3d."
Article. 10 provides, upon much
the same basis, for senatorial repre-
sentatives, and limits the total num-
Der at not more than Al nor less than
Sc.
1t may be taken for granted that
the present number will not be great
ly reduced in either house, 1t is not
human nature for sane people to cut
their own throats. But there are
two possible schemes that may be
one of these will give the
House Of Representatives 104 men,
bers, thus reducing it by ten men,
bers.
To do this, the Representative
number" referred to in the Constitu-
ton, is obtained by first taking from
the list the smaller parishes and
wards in the City of New Orleans
Bha: are allowed one representative,
regardless of their population, and
dividing the remainder into the total
State population exclusive of these
short" parishes and wards.
The representative number thus
obtained will be found to be $4,000.
Upon basis of 116 representa-
ives, by similar calculation, the
representative number will be 12,-
100. We then have the means of
king the number of representatives,
or each parish and each ward in New
orleans, upon a basis of 104, based
pom one representative for every
1000 inhabitants, and one for every
1ajority fraction above 1000, and
he number that each will be entitled ,
D upon basis of 1l6 members /
ased upon population of one for {
$500 and one for every fraction s
bove $500. t
Upon the basis of lO4 representa- q
yes. one representative Will be Q
aimed above the present number by S
.cadla, st. Landry and Rapides,
nd one member will be lost by Con-, y
ordia, M adison, Morehouse, Union, =
asst Feliciana, Ouachita, ST. James, y
t. Martin, Tensas,. West Feliciana =
I'D the second ward of Orleans. :,
nder an apportionment of 116 rep a
'sentatives, there will be gain over t,
'e present House of one representa-
We in Acadia, Caddo, East Baton fl
ouge, Natchitoches, Rapides, St.
andry and st. Mary, and loss of 7
lie member from Concordia, Madi-
N, Morehouse, Union, West Felici- to
Ia and Orleans second ward. The o.
esent apportlonment can not stand h,
I'd the figures suggested above are F
ven as basis for calculations in r
e solution Of this very important NJ
Iestion. The matter of the sena-
rial apportionment is based upon a 10
ghtly different system and it will m