The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1910-07-01
DICKEY TELLS
REASON WHY
LEGISLATURE HAS NEVER Be EN-
PERMITTED TO FORM sENA-
ToRiAL DISTRICTS.
Special Interests Protected by Dem.
ocratlc Senate Secured by Ger
rymanderino for Last
Thirty Years.

After the committeeman having the
matter in charge had agreed upon
submitting a constitutional amend
ment creating new senatorial districts,
Hon. Walter S. Dickey. chairman of
the Republican State committee, is
sued the following address, which
should be read by every fair-minded
citizen of Missouri:
I'VE propose to submit to the peo-
pie an amendment to the constitution
dividing the state into senatorial dis
pie of Missouri, without reference to
politics, by giving them equal repre-
sentation in the state senate. AS it Is
now, the vote of one Democrat is
equal to the vote Of two Republicans
when 1t comes to the election of a
state senator. Although we carried
the state in 1904 for Theodore Roese-
welt by $4,000 majority, and all the
state ticket except one by majorities
ranging from 5000 to 20, 900, the Dem
ocrats had two-thirds of the thirty
four members of the state senate. In
1905 the two parties were about equal
ly divided, and in 1908 the margin of
difference was again a narrow one,
and yet, the senate still continued 23
Democrats and II Republicans.
Not Work Of Legislature.
"The facts of the case are that not
only the members of the Republican
party, but the members of the minor
ity parties are partially disfranchised
when it comes to voting for state sen.
ators. This result has not been the
work Of the legislature. Under the
constitution of 1875, the state was d.
vided into senatorial districts, with
reasonable fairness. But it was pro-
vided that in 1880, and every ten
years thereafter it should be redis-
tricted by an act of the legislature,
and if the legislature did not act, by
the governor, secretary of state and
attorney general. The "Old Guard"
leaders have never been willing to
even trust to the legislature the redis-
tricting of the state, and the state had
been redistricted by an act of
the general assembly. In 1881, in
1891 and again in 1901 this work was
done by the governor, the secretary
Of state and the attorney general, and
that it was effectively done from a
partisan standpoint is evidenced by
the fact that even IL the Republicans
should carry the state by $4,000 ma
jority, the state senate would still
continue safely Democratic.
1.-THE result has been that special
interests have sought to control, and
have controlled, that branch of the
legislature. The Doodle scandals in
1901 and 1903 were largely centered
in that body. A corrupt gerrymander
usually finds expression in a repre-
sentative body that does not repre-
sent the interests of the people. We
propose to submit to the vote of all
the people a districting of the state,
which is entirely fair. On the basis
of the last election this redistricting
would have resulted in the election of
eighteen Democrats and sixteen Re-
publicans. 1t places twenty-four SEN
atorial districts outside Of Jackson
county and St. Louis, seven in st.
Louis and three in Jackson county.
Country Equally Divided.
Thus outside of Jackson county
and st. Louis, the districts are equally
divided between the two political par.
ties, OF the six senators from St.
Louis, three are now Democrats and
three Republicans and the two from
jackson county are both Democrats.
Assuming that the Republicans should
get the odd senator in st. Louis and
that Jackson county continues DEM
ocratic, this would make the senate
equally divided between the two par,
ties, as, In fact, 1t ought to be when
the vote of the two parties Is con,
sidered. This will also give an in
creased opportunity to the %independ-
emit voter and to the minority parties
to exercise more of an influence in
state affairs.
while this redistricting of the
state was prepared and will be submit
ted to a vote of the people through the
efforts of the Republican state COM
mtttee, 1t is at once apparent that it
is in no sense a partisan proposition,
but one which should appeal to every
fair-minded citizen, without reference
to his politics. No honest Democrat
ought to ask that his vote should
count for more in the election of a
state senator than that of his Repub.
hcan neighbor. The adoption Of this
amendment will be mi of the issues
OF the present campaign, and upon this
issue we expect to appeal with sue.
cess to the people of this state"