The Topeka state journal., 1908-12-09
SenatOr-Elect Glenn Has Some
ReappOrtiOnment Plans.
Western Members Will Stand
Solidly for New Measure.
COUNTIES BACKINLINE
Everyone Cast More Than Re.
Quired Number of Votes.
Still Five Have No Representa-
tives in House.

Senator-elect w. NJ. Glenn of Trib-
nue., Greeley county, of the 3Sth, Du-
| mont Smiths old district was in To-
peka this week and announced that
he intends to introduce a reapportion-
ment bill at the next session that will
| amect representative and senatorial
districts in every section of the state.
Senator Glenn was present at the
meeting at Garden City some two
weeks ago at which the western mem
! bers of the next Legislature held a
caucus and agreed on reapportion-
ment bill. There is no doubt that an
organized and determined effort will
! be made by all the western members
J to get such a bill through at the next
session.
The state constitution provides that
every county in the state that cast two
| hundred votes shall be entitled to a
representative in the legislature. Now
there is not county in Kansas that
| did not cast three hundred votes at
the last election yet Morton, Stanton,
! Haskell, Seward and Greeley counties
are without representation in the
| house.
The state has a population OF l.
6 1000 which would give an average
! of 41,400 to each of the forty senator
| iaI districts in the state. Senator
| Glenn has prepared a new apportion-
| ment of the senatorial districts based
on the proper average of population
and on the natural geographical ar
rangement of counties. The table rep
resents the pains and labor of Senator
Glenn and his friends for several
| weeks and a large number of legisla-
tors have been consulted in the mat
ter. While there may yet be some
slight changes made in this apportion
ment, and while suggestions from
those interested backed by figures and
logic, are still in order, it is likely
that the new senatorial districts of
the state will be Incorporated in Sena-
tor Glenn's measure as the nearest
tool Fafr
portionment law.
An idea of the present disproportion
of the present senatorial districts of the
state can be gained from the statement
that the Thirty-ninth district is now
composed of 1S counties with a popu-
| lation of 81 900 people and the Thirty
eighth with lis counties has $1,000 pop
ulatfcn, while Washington and Usage
| counties, with about 90 900 population
each, have separate senator's
AS regards the representative districts
Senator Glenn would have represen-
tatiVe for each of the los counties of
the state and then divide the 20 addi-
tional representatives among the more
populous counties. At present Jefferson
county with $4,000 population has two
representatives while nine other coun-
ties each with over 10000 population,
have but one. Leavenworth county with
40 600 population has three representa-
tives while Montgomery county with
so 900 people has but two.
Senator Glenn would not give two
representatives to any county that has
not a much larger population than any
county having but one; JEFFERSON;
Franklin all counties with about 20,-
900 population and now having two rep
resentatives each in the house, could
Justly give up one to each Of the five
new representative districts created out
of the counties not now represented
in the house, and Leavenworth could
give to Montgomery the representative
due the latter county.
The state constitution provides that
reapportionment shall be made every
five years, yet there has not been
real change of this kind made since
1891 although there was a slight effort
at reapportionment made in the legis-
latrre in 1897 and again in 1901. Even
counting these efforts as reapportion-
ments ii has been over fve years since
any change at all has been made.
The reapportionment measure intro
duced at the last session was beaten
nv the eastern members, but there Ia
every reason to believe that the west
ern members are well organized for the
effort to get their bill through at the
next session and it does seem that there
is Justice in their demands, especially
as regards the five counties with no
representatives at all. This state of
affairs is clearly beyond the letter and
spirit of the law.
Robt Loofbourrow, of Neodesha, the
new representative from Wilson county,
was in the state capital today, and in
speaking of legislation that was near
To his heart declared that he would in
troduce a bill at the next session com
pelIing all locomotive engines on the
railroads of the state to carry electric
headlights.
Mr.. Loofbourrow also declared him
self as strongly in favor of good roads
and forestry legislation.
LIVELY BLAZE AT CARBONDALE