The National tribune., 1907-06-20

amusing study for the amount Of cum.
ming displayed in ii. and the elaborate
effort TO tie the hands of the people
so that they will never be able TO es-
cape from it,
oklahoma had been previously di-
lNided INTO 90 Counties in way which
met the entire approval of the residents
and taxpayers. Each County was made
up of territory contiguous and easily
accessible from the County seat Tho
country was that which would natur-
ally do business with the place selected
for the County seat. and the County
would form certain homogeneous
community. Careful thought was taken
as to the probabilities of the population
! increasing. Those Counties which had
good soil were made smaller than those
| in the Semi-arid regions. which had no
attractions for settlers except graZers-
/ In this way - Counties were formed
and the division was repeatedly passed
upon by various conventions of farm
crs and others and approved 1t seemed
altogether the most sensible and ra-
tional plan both for the present and
the future. The 50 Counties were to
be represented by 7S Legislators. This
arrangement is shown in the first map.
where the Counties appear 10 be regu-
lar in form. adapted to the natural coA-
\ iSuration of the country aad properly
! grouped around their Connty seats.
.
| This arrangement in the most irrational
and distTactins way. The first object
was to create rs or so per cent more
Counties and the next was to arrange
all these so that they would be GER
tainly and forever Democratic. But
| little attention was paid TO former
affiliations nr the carefully considered
relations to the County seat. Still less
! regard was given to the probabilities
OF the people of The County being able
to support the expense of County
! Government. For example the Pan
/ handle. which is n semi-arid grazing
I region and can never have more than
an exceedingly sparse population, had
been thrown into one County. but the
/ Convention made three of If. The fam
tastic shapes of other Counties will be
apparent upon Il study of the second
map. Under the Convcntian's scheme
there viii he 146 legislators and the
prepondcrIncc OF the Democratic Party
will be all the time overwhelming Then
the Convention proceeded to exhaust
| its ingenuity to make this arrangement
everlasting and Interchangeable by adopt
ing the following:
| Creating or Altering Counties.
! Section T. The Legislature shall pro-
| vide by general laws for The creation
of new counties or altering or changing
| lines and the equitable division of as
sets and OF liabilities. and the original
location of county seats in such new
| counties: Provided, That every such
question shall be submitted to the vote
of the qualified electors residing in the
| territory to be formed into such new
county OF transferred TO another coun-
ty. and shall he approved by so per
| centum of the votes cast in said cleo
tion: Provided. That no new county
shall be formed of les than 400 square
miles taxable area, nor with a popula-
tion of less than 5000 people, nor with
| taxable wealth less than two and one
half million dollars. as shown by the
current tax rolls. Nor shall any terri
| tory be taken from an existing county
for any purpose bringing the newly Gre
aied line of such existing county nearer
than 10 miles TO the county seat there
or Nor shall the taxable area. popula-
ton, or taxable wealth of said existing
county be reduced below that required
| for new county Nor shall any terri
tory, in any case, be transferred from
one county to an existing county, if by
such transfer of territory the county
| from which the territory be taken will
| then be smaller in area than the county
/ 10 which the addition is made: Pro-
vided. That when territory is to be
be transferred from an existing county
transferred from an existing county
there must be so per centurfi of the vote
| cast in such particular territory in favor
OF the transfer, and. in case the trans
ic' pc 10 an eNiStinS county. The accept
ance of such territory must first be ap-
proved by a majority vote of the cleo
tors OF said county. at an election to be
called and held therefor, as may be
provided by law. The limitation as to
area. valuation and population shall not
be increased by the Legislature
A study Of the above will show that
1t VIII be practically impossible to ever
change the County lines Anv change
hv
voters of both Counties affected. no
new County can be formed of less
than 400 square miles. nor with pop
uiatlon of less than Il, 1000 Gor with less
taxable property than s2,a00,0OO. and
this applies TO both the County TO he
formed and the County frols, which the
territory is taken. That is. the latter
shall not be reduced below that mimi
mum. This is practically Impossible
In 1900 there were "a Counties recog-
h'zed IN Oklahoma. of which bu. nine
mad property the taxable value of which
exceeded s2,500.000. When these are
cut up into SO counties ii cannot be
that more than two or three of them
nave that minimum. The census of
1900 gave Oklahoma population of
osS,Sai; which would give an average
population of 766. Thus the impossi-
biiity is apparent of forming any
County having $4,000 population
and stlll leaving the other county
with that minimum. The next step
in the Serrymandcr WAS to pro
vlde at least one representative
for each County. so as 30 insure a
strong Democratic majority. To pro-
vide against any overslaughing of this
a restriction is made that no County
snail have more than four Representa-
tires. This is TO prevent anr city which
happens to have phenom email growth
from getting its proper share i'm ihe
government of the State
Only 4 few good features relieve the
drcary mass of sharp and shallow
partizanship and crude Populism
End Hard TImc Indeed
w. A. Cleveland. Co. K 57th Ohio