Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-03

q majority OF the members IN each branch
Of the Legislature.
According to the latest figures the popu-
lation OF Greater New York City is 4,Ol4,-
304. The population of the rest of the
State is 4O52 SOS The difference, il
will be observed, is less than 10000 The
proposed apportionment, according TO a
bill which has been prepared and is likely
10 command the approval Of the Repub-
lican majority in the Legislature, gives
20 Greater New York City n State sena-
tors and 90 Assomblymen, and to the rest
Of the State 80 State Senators and ss
Assemblymen.
The contention Of many Democratic
newspapers of the State is that the rep
resentation should be established strictly
on the basis of population, despite the
fact that this would give TO Greater New
York City very nearly half of the members
Of tho Senate and Assembly. But this
contention is opposed by the representa-
tues Of the rural districts, and the proba-
bilities are that the apportionment as
finally agreed upon will not be any more
liberal to New York City than the figures
given above.
Il is not surprising that the representa-
tives Of the rural districts in New York s
Legislature should resist an apportion-
ment that would give the great city any
thing like representation according
to population. Representation according
to population is very fine in theory, but
not in practice There was a time in the
history of the country when il was re-
garded as a principle worth fighting for,
but that was long before the day of great
aggregations of population in the cities.
Now, in view of the danger of municipal
domination, representation according to
population as a principle is held to be
dependent upon conditions. II is all
right when the rural population is largely
in excess Of the urban population, but all
wrong when the urban population is in
the lead
From the latter point Of view it may
with much force be argued that the situa-
tion in New York is sufficiently dangerous,
without being made more so. Greater
New York now possesses nearly half the
population Of the entire State. In addi-
ton, there is Buffalo with nearly half a
million; Rochester, Syracuse and Albany
with more than hundred thousand each,
and number of other cities Of 10000
and upwards The strictly urban popu-
lation, therefore, is considerably larger
than the population of the strictly rural
districts, and there is no doubt that even
under the existing apportionment, the
representatives of the cities Of New York
State comprise a majority of the popular
branch of the State Legislature, if not
of the Senate also
In other States than New York this
question OF the domination of cities in the
Legislatures has been considered and in
none of them is any disposition shown
TO recognize the principle of representa-
tion according to population to the ex-
tent of placing the Legislatures under
the control of the cities, even where the
conditions of population would deprive
il Of danger. Pennsylvania, with its
large cities of Philadelphia and Greater
Pittsburg nearly 100000 between
them-besides numerous populous cities
ofthe second class has specifically guarded
in its Constitution, against urban domi-
nation, by limiting the representation of
the large cities below the danger point.
Even in Massachusetts, the township
basis Of representation absolutely pro-
hihits the domination Of Boston. while
throughout New England generally the
city representation is ridieulously small.
and also uniustly so, in comparison with
the representation OF the rural commmi-
ties. In Ohio, with Cleveland, Cincinnati
and Columbus possessing a great portion
of the States population; in Illinois, with
its enormous Chicago; in Missouri, with
It's St. Louis; in Maryland, with It's Balti-
more, and in other States the country Is
ever on guard against the domination OF
the city, and the principle Of representa-
tion according TO population is abso-
lutely disregarded Representation ac-
cording 10 territorial interests and prop
erty interests is held to be paramount IA
the mere matter Of aggregations OF people
within certain corporate limits.
In Delaware the question has been
practically dealt with and practically
settled, The first legislative apportion-
mont in this State was based very nearly
upon population as il gave equal repre-,
sentation to tho three counties and the
three counties were about equal in popu-
lation But as Wilmington grew in the
numbers Of its people. and the demand
for increased representation became in.
sistent, the rural representatives Of IN,
State, who, under the old apportionmeni
had absolute power in the matter. gave
Wilmington increased representation. but
gave it grudgingly and without regard
to population. Wilmington will soor
possess more than half the population oI
tho State But will Wilmington. through
representation according TO population
ever elect half the members OF the Icgis
latuo
And 40 despite the principle involved
no State in this country is likely to permit