Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-01-19

| changing Legislative districts. As mat.
ters now stand Denver is attached to
| fifteen different counties for legisla.
tive purposes and this is an outrage
on the counties as this city can al
ways dictate the nominees Then Tel
Ter was attached to Ell Paso for the
election OF representatives and sena-
tors. This was done to cheat Repub-
licans from representation In Ell
Paso. AT the time the bill passed Tel
majority. which would more than on
set Ell Paso's Republican majority of
from $500 to 5000. IL is the concen-
sus OF opinion that each county should
have direct voice in legislative mat
ters and not attached to adjoining
counties except in rare instances
where the population is too small. Al
any rate Denver should be in a dis
trict by Itself and so with Teller and
El Paso counties. Then there is con
siderable talk of cutting out three or
four of the judicial districts in the
state. 1t is claimed that in some of
the districts the judges have little
TO do and do not begin to earn their
salary. It is claimed that district
judge should earn his salary the same
as other people The cutting down
would also cause a saving in the mat
ter of district attorneys. OF course
the redistricting of judicial districts
would not be politcal-simply one of
economy and a desire to keep Judges
at work. But Legislative redistricting
will be opposed by the Democrats
who are responsible for the present
outrage and Gov Adams would prob
ably listen to their side OF the case
unless some kind OF a reciprocal deal
is entered into
Representative McEwen has a bill
in regard to primaries and elections.
which may be incorporated into the
i~ihuSieN measure OF introduced sep
II will do away with carriages
on election day, patterning after the
Kansas act where people who want
to vote have to walk to the polls. And
with this policy in vogue and follow
ed by both parties II would not be
bad thing. Hundreds of voters simply
do
call for trem. II a person does not
think enough of the franchise to vote
unless hauled to the polls in a car.
riage then there is no great loss II |
the said vote Is not cast. OF course
there are mitigating circumstances
but in such cases a friends rig can
accomplish the same purpose And
this leads us to remark that multi. |
tude of bills have been and will be in |
troduced touching on elections and |
registration, all brought about by re.
Melton OF San Juan
county introduced bill last week on |
this subject-doing away with tho |
privilege of voting straight ticket |
His bill does away with headings of
any character and compels the voter |
to go through the entire list OF candi- |
dates and check the name Of the ones |
preferred. This would prove benefic- |
ial in one respect-that of presenting |
the palming OF Of marked ballots as
vide last fall when no doubt thous-
ands Of supposed straight Republican |
ballots were cast but in reality the |
name of Alva Adams had been check |
ed by some election judge. The evil |
dence before the supreme court |
brought out this fact There Is dan
ger of the numerous bills killing each |
other off by the authors refusing to
adopt plans differing from their own. |
1t is hoped however that some efYec-
tive law will be passed governing
both registra ton and election and
that hereafter in Colorado ones vote
will count Just the way intended.
R