The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-24

Seventh. This is because the Seventh
has more than it's share of the popula-
tion, and it has always been supposed
that the growth would be in that part
of the state.
But the developments of the past two
or three years have proved otherwise.
The region which is growing the fastest
in population is the oil and gas belt.
In view of this fact the new district
should be made with view to THIS
increasing population. Population is the
basis on which the constitution says the
districts shall be based, at the same
time the present general apportion-
ment should be disturbed as little
as possible With pencil and paper
and the last population statistics OF the
state it is by no means difficult to see
that the logical place for the new ols-
trict is in the gas and oil belt
In dividing Kansas into eight congress
sional districts the population OF eacn
should be about 100, 900. At present the
Third. which takes in the greater part
of the rapidly growing Oil region, Is
largely in excess of that fgure ana II odo Is
increasing at the rate of about So,0oO
people a year, so that II neeoS lo pS
largely cut down.
The state Journal has prepared an
apportionment which will fo1n good
basis on which to put the new dlstrlcI
in the oil belt. The new district coulo
be formed by taking Linn, Anderson,
Bourbon and Allen counties from the
present Second district, Neosho, VII
son, and Elk from the present Inlro; i
and Coffey, Woodson and GreenWood
from the present Fourth. This new
Eighth district would have a populatlon
of 1872 SIS. 1t includes Chanute, ana lola,
which, with the surrounding c~ountry, ~
are growing rapidly. These counties
have increased 9,90S the past year, SO
that by the time the next census IS Ia
ken they will doubtless have 19O 10000
To eoualize the population in the resi-
of the state, jefferson county should be
taken from the First, which would ieaVe
the First with a population of 1SS;4f2;
Jefferson, from the First, could be
dotte. johnson, Douglas, Franklin,
and Miami 1t would have popula-
ton of 1S7,028. but the growth OF
Wvandotte county alone would put II
mast the 10000 mark in year
The Third ought to consist of only
Crawford, Cherokee, Iabette, MONT
gomery, and Chautauqua- Thelr pop
Ulation according to the census OF last
gained 1s,449 in the year preceding
That thev will doubtless have at least
10000 by the time the next census is
taken in March
The Fourth district is the most
dific11It one to frame in order to get
the right popula ton. 1t ought to give
m Pottawatomie to the Firth, ana
take Geary in it's place, as that would
make it more symmetrical Inen oy
taking CowIey from the Third ana
Mcpherson from the Seventh II would
have a population of 1S8.905.
The Fifth by trading Geary for Pot
with the Fourth and tax
ing Jewell from the Sixth, would have
a, population of 191,S83.
The Sixth and the Seventh at pres
ent are far in excess of what they
ought to have, but they should be left
ahead of the others, because statstlcs
show that the eastern part of the state
is growing the more rapidly in popu-
lation. The Seventh at present has
far more than the Sixth, and to
eoualize them the Seventh would have
to give the Sixth it's north row of coun- |
ties. beginning with Rice, and 1nclud-
ing Pawnee. This would give the
Sixth 2e6,353, and the Seventh would
have 205.S4S.
would be that it would
leave each of the present congressman |
in his present district, and would |
place Congressman -at-Large Scott IN
the new district with an equal chance
with other aspirants to become It's
A dispatch from Emporia states that
John Madden has decided to refuse
Hoch He gives as his principal rea-
son the fact that he cannot afford to
neglect his law practice to fill the
Office
While no candidates for bank COM
missioner to succeed Morton Albaugh |
have publicly declared themselves, it
is said that a good many candidates
are camping on the trail of Governor
elect Hoch-making a sort of still