Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-09
TALK OF REINFORCEMENT
Members from Ws1tsn Part Of State Will
Push the Measure,
HOLD PRESENT ARRANGEMENT is UNJUST
Maintain that Present legislature
Can Legally Pass such a Bill
which Is Denied By re
Opponents.
From a star Corresnondent.N

- 1871
LINCOLN. Jan. Observation-Disclosures
ing OF the state will be one OF the inter-
csting propositions OF this session OF the
legislature. whether II will be forced to
a successful issue cannot be determined
at this time, as there is going to be con-
siderable opposition to Il.
Representative McAllister OF Lincoln
county, whose district begins with Lincoln
county on the east and extends TO the
state line on the west, a distance OF about
$50 miles. embracing nine counties. will be
the leader in the house for this PROPOSE
tion and Senator Brown Of Deuel. county
will champion Il IN the Reuate. Repre-
sentative McAllister has not yet, but will
frame and Introduce a bill to this effect.
The state needs redistrictlng very
badly" said Mr.. McAllister. "a casual
reference to conditions will show queer inc
qualities and some glaring disparagements
as to divisions and apportionments. For In
stance. my district in 1900 had a tota! pop
ulation Of $3.50. and at the last election
cast a total vote OF between 5000 and 5000.
Richardson county on the other hand. has
three members in the house and a popula-
tion Of 10000
THE state constitution prescribes 100
q member for the house. The total popula-
tion Of Nebraska fs about 1,066. 900. Thus
Richardson county is barely entitled to two
members, let alone three. Now the redis-
%tricting could not increase the aggregate
representation, but would be an equalizins
or addition and satisfaction process, taking
from such counties as Richardson and Civ
ing to others whose population entities
them to greater representation.
Douglas, on this basis. ought to get Ave
additional members in the house alone,
which would give It fourteen, instead OF
nine representatives. Lancaster would
gain one. I have not figured exactly the
gain in the senate"
Mr.. McAllister observes that the consti-
tutional objection that the redIstricting
should have been undertaken at the session
Of Legislature Immediately following the
census in 1900, but cites rulings In Ohio
whose constitution is similar to that Of
Nebraska, TO sustain his point that a later
session OF the legislature could rightfully
deal with the natter.
Senator Brown, the leading exponent OF
this proposition In the upper house, rep
resents a district embracing seven c~ountier
and Of almost equal territorial expanse az
that represented by Mr.. McAllister. The
total voting powers Of The two districts are
likewise about the same.
Opponents OF this proposition will base
their action on this, section 2 Of article II
OF the Constitution on Legislation:
The legislature shall provide by law To-
enumeration of the inhabitants of the stat
in the year eighteen hundred and eighty
five and every ten years thereafter, an,
at the first regular session after eacl
enumeration and also after each enumera
ton made by the authority Of the United
States. but at no other time. the legisla
tIre shall apportion the senators and rep
resentatives according to the number o
Inhabitants, excluding Indians not taxeC
and soldiers and officers of the Unite,
States army and navy.