Hermanner Volksblatt. [volume] (Hermann, Mo.) 1875-1928, 1910-07-08
DICKEY TELLS
REASON WHY
LEGISLATURE HAS NEVER BEEN
PERMITTED TO FORM sENA.
ToRlAL DISTRICTS.
Special interests Protected by Dem
oeratie Senate Secured by Ger
rymanderlns 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
tricts, SO as to enfranchise all the peo-
pie of Missouri, without reference to
politics, by giving them equal repre-.
s%entation 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 Roose-
welt by $4,000 majority, and all the
state ticket except one by majorities
ranging from 5000 to %, 900, the Dem
ocrats had two-thlrds Of the thirty
ANAi "a VI II oldlG SGlldlG. III
1906 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 DISTINGUISHED
when it comes to voting for state sen.
ators. This result has not been tie
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 reds.
tricting of the state, and the state had
never 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 q
partisan standpoint is evidenced by
the fact that eve If the Republicans
should carry the state by $4,000 ma,
jority, the state senate would still
continue safely Democratic.
THE result has been that special
interests have sought to control, ana
have controlled, that branch o. I'll
legislature. The Doodle scandals IN
1901 and 1903 were largely conferred
in that body. A corrupt gerryraGndeT
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 al
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-
publicahs, 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. or the six senator's 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.
o%cratic, 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.
ent voter and to the minority parties
to exercise more of an influence In
state affairs.
While this redistricting Of the
state was prepared and VIII be submit.
ted to a vote of the people through the
efforts of the Republican state com.
mtttee, 1t is at once apparent that 1t
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-
lican n%eighbor. The adoption of this
amendment will be one of the issues
of the present campaign. and upon this
issue we expect to appeal with sue
cess to the people Of this state"