Hermanner Volksblatt. [volume] (Hermann, Mo.) 1875-1928, 1910-08-19

gerryman6er OF the senatorial dis
tricts. by the Democrats In 1917
The opinion also points cut the fact
that the proposed amendment Is NOT
IN proper form because il does net ex-
81 asly repeal that part of Section
Ar;icle 4. which 1t would inval.date II
aJt pied. That section contains the
grosisiun CT the Constitution under
which the Democrats have for thirty
years delegated to the Secretary OF
State and Attorney General and Gov
erner authority to gerrymander the
districts. 1t is as follows:
"Peovided. That II at any time, or from
any cause. the General Assembly b
fail or refuse to district the state for SEN
afors. as required in this section, IL shall
'Ne She dirty Of the Governor, SeecfS NY OF
state and Attorney General, Sithil Nfrty
days after the adjournment of the Gen
er9l Assembly or which such duty de-
volved. to perform said duty, and 10 file
In the office OF the Secretary OF State a
full statencat OF tAe districts formed by
them, including the names of the
ties embraced In each district, and ile
numbers thereof; said statement 20 be
signed by them. and attested hy the
Great Seal OF State. and upon the procia-
lhAaA A'fa fiAt " ~ AL tAAN
be birding and effectual as IL done by the
General Assembly"
This proviso is now known as the
Democratic Joker" because it per-
nlits a gerrymander every ten years.
That part of the proposed amend
ment which. could 1t be adopted,
would annul the above proyiso and
suspend the whole of Section Z reads
as follows;
This division of the state Into senato-
rial districts shall continue until the
United States census OF 1920 shall have
been taken and the result thereof as TO
this state a~seertained, when the districts
| shah, 10y law enacted by the people, or
| rcssed by the General Assembly. be re-
vised and adjusted on the basis Of that
coa5las. and every ten years thereafter
upon the basis OF the United States GEN.
sus, the districts shall be revised and
adjusted by a law enacted by the people
or passed by the General Assembly.
In their honest and supposedly wise
judgment, Republican lawyers believed
that any section of the Constitution
directly inconsistent with an amend
ncnt adopted by the people would
have to get OF the bench and take
back seat but they know more nov
You cant get rid of a provision undel
which the Democrats may continue {
Gerrymander the senatorial district.
without hitting it s~quarely betweer
the eyes with a legal sledge hamme'
ard then proving 10 the Secretary Q
state that your blow was ~constitu
tional.
Since the Supreme Court ha.
knocked Sky high (a%ccording to tn
81. Louis Republic) the propose
amendment under which the peopi
might have released the grip Of th
corporations, the lobbyists and "a
.i~a1ercets" ON the State Senate by Y
&. t]rictig5 the state, with their Qw.
cteg, the most immediate and effect
ire seEsedy is to elect enough RopUl
...eans this year to control the Seaa-
and insure the passage Of an homes
re.districting bill. Otherwise the '3a;
ate Will again defeat any and all !,
Gls,r.cting bills and thus empowa
On. Roach, Secretary of state, wit
Che assistance Of Attorney Genera
s1ajcr, 10 gerrymander the state j3.
RS his Democratic predecessors did
fSe1, 1891 and 1901.