The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-01-10
SENATOR GARDENERS PROPOSITION.

terday by Senator Gardner is one of the most inn
portant measures that will claim the consideration
and action of the general assembly during the
present session.
Ii proposes the reduction of the membership
OF the senate to twenty and the division Of the
state into twenty senatorial districts, which shall
contain as nearly as possible equal number OF
inhabitants. Each district is to elect senator,
and the district lines to be changed when
census, which is to be taken every ten years,
shows such change to be necessary to maintain
equal representation.
The desrability, indeed the necessity, of some
such change in the states organic law proposed
by Senator Gardner has long been recognized by
every Rhode Islander who believes that represen-
tative government is the only government citizens
should permit to exist in this commonwealth,
There is no such government today, nor has
there been for decades, because the peculiar pro-
visions of an antiquated and inadequate constitu-
ton render such government impossible by giving
to the smallest community in the state equal rep
resentation in the senate with the largest munich
palty
Is il not futile to hope for the establishment
of government of by and for the people so long
as the organic law gives to the town OF West
Greenwich, for example, with its total population
Of 474, exactly the same voting power in the high
est Legislative body given to the city OF Provi
dence with its more than 10000 inhabitants?
Senator Gardner's proposition is designed to
remedy this garing inequality, and To give to the
people of every part of the state that just proper
tionate representation to which they entitled
Nor can it be charged there is anything radical,
revolutionary partisan in it.
Equality of representation and rule by the
majority are fundamental principles of American
political institutions, but these principles have
been subverted here because the constitution gives
representation to the town rather than to the
people.
In order that the present injustice may come
10 an end town lines must for the purposes OF SEN
atoral representation be ignored proposed by
Senator Gardner, and the entire state divided into
districts of equal nearly equal population
Under such change the rights of the people
OF every part OF the commonwealth would be con-
served and injustice would be done to none The
state senate would then become what il has
been body representative of the people, and it
would cease to be the puppet and playthng Of an
insolent and conscienceess boss.
If the general assembly now sitting at the
state house were amenable to the wishes of the
great majority of the people of Rhode Island there
would exist no doubt to the prompt adoption
of Senator Gardner's resolution. Unfortunately
for the state the Republican majority in that body
shows no disposition to bow to powerful and
we'll understood public sentiment, but rather to
remain supinely servile to the boss, whose evil
domination is dependent upon that disproportion-
ate representation which Senator Gardners propo-
sition is designed to remove.
Should the senate majority continue to the
end of the session the policy Of unreasoning par
tisanship revealed in its stripping from the COVER
nor the power to appoint committees, and should
the house majority follow in its present path Of
partisan bigotry and disregard of right justice
and public sentiment, there will be slight hope for
the success OF the measure.
Indeed the only possible chance it has OF
adoption is through independent action on the
part Of some of the men who make up the Repub-
lican majority. If there be public-spirit and
courageous men in that majority-men who desire
to rescue the state from condition of ignobe po-
Etical servitude and 10 wipe forever from its es-
cutcheon the blot Of bossism, they will join with
the Democratic minority in supporting this neces-
sary and righteous proposal for fair and equal rep
resentation in the senate.
One thing is certain, however, and il is that
n this reasonable and just proposition is defeated
BY the Republican majority that majority will be
whipped out OF office by an indignant electorate
hext November.