The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1906-04-27
OISFRANCHISEO.
How Voters of Kentucky Are
Denied Representation.
Strong Address Issued BY Legis'
lative Committee In Charge
to Test In Courts.

To the people Of Kentucky-At
at the last regular session of the Gen.
eral Assembly an act was PASSED
dividing the State into 100 Repre-
sentative districts. which has been
approved by the Governor and cloth
ed with all the outer habiliments or
formslof law. The Constitution of
Kentucky provides, among other
things, that:
The First General Assembly af-
4, ter the adoption of this Constitution
y shall divide the State into thirty
eight Senatorial districts. and one
hundred Representative districts, as
nearly equal in population as may
be without dividing any county ex-
cept where a county may include
more than one district, which dis
tricts shall constitute the Senatorial
and Representative districts for ten
years. Not more than two counties
shall be Joined together to form a
Representatives district. Provided,
in doing so the principle requiring
every district to be as nearly equal
in population as may be shall not be
violated IL, in making said
districts, inequality of population
shall be unavoidable, any advantage
resulting therefrom shall be given
TO districts having the largest terri
tory. No.part of the county shall
be added to another county to make
a districts. and the county forming
district shall be contiguous"
The General Assembly was direct
. ed every ten years thereafter to re-
district the State according to this
rule.
Conceiving that the act in question
was gross violation of both the let
ter and spirit of the function, and
that it deprived large number of
our people of the right of self-gov-
eminent, the undersigned were Sc
lected, by the unanimous voice of
the Republican members of the Leg
islature, to take steps to assert the
rights of the people of the State
against this unjust, iniquitous and
unconstitutional act of the Legisla-
ture.
THE right of citizen to proper
tionate representation in the Legisla-
ture. so far as it can be practically
carried into effect by the instrument
talities of human gvernment, is rec
ognized and protected by the Con-
stitution." 155 Ill. 452.
BY the act in question it appears
that more than quarter of mill
/, of our people in twenty-four districts
or rather in twelve of them, have
been denied and excluded from rep
resentation in the Legislature to all
HlIciIo dhu pui pooCo.
The committee having occasion to
also consider the acts of the Legis-
lature of may 8, and June %, 1893,
dividing the state into Senatorial and
Representative districts, and also
the act on March IL, 1898, dividing
the State into Congressional districts
found that they were each and all
grossly unfair and yiolative of the
State or Federal law covering the
subject.
AS evidence that we are not mis-
taken in our views on this matter we
attach hereto tables showing num-
Der of Senatorial and Representa-
tive districts taken from the various
acts of 1898.
These figures taken from the acts
and the census of State speak more
eloquently and strongly than any
thing your committee can say on
the subject, and need but little COM
ment at our hands.
That we have remedy against
the violation of the supreme law of
the State and the United States
manifested in these various acts of
the Legislature seems to be too clear
for dispute or argument.
We have found in none of the acts
that have been contested and held in
valid in our sister State anything
more grossly unfair and violative of