The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1910-07-14
TURNED PEOPLE DOWN.



| S-Ockey, Chairman, and Rush C-Lake,
Secretary of the Republican Safe Com
mittee appeared before CozneEus c.
Roach, Secretary Of State, last wednes-
day 10 6le the petitions for submitting
to vote Of ttae people the proposed
amendment 20 the constitution relating
70 senatorial districts they found thai
oE6cial ready, with vel devised pszn
10 prevent the amendment going On
the November ballot They were tod
very sxeetiy and banklY by Mr. Roach
that ne would consult the Attorney
General and De governed by his ad-
vice Of course he knew what that
advice would be-sven the newspaper
reporters knew that much-and he
knew what his OWL course would De,
fo- ne admitted, Ii LATER written COM
nunication, that he had been carefully
studying the law Ii anticipation OF the
coming Of the petitions. No doubt he
and Major had been carefully planning
the rejection Of the petition ever since
they heard that it would contain more
signatures than necessary TO make It
legal
Major gave Roach I written opinion
Thursday when Roach gave TO Homer
Hall, Attorney for the petitioners, =
written refusal 70 file the petition.
Majors opinion In brief, was simply
that THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO
THE CONSTITUTION IS UNCoNST-
TUTTONAL He recited Z number Of
reasons for such Z conclusion not one
Of which seems plausible. even TO i
kyman- His chief contention vas that
the proposed amendment repeals sect
ion II of Article Of the constitution
which section has been imperative for
% years, and violates the provisions oi
Sec ion Of the same article, which IS
the section under which senatorial dis
mcts are created every ten years; but
he fails 20 cite the fact that the propos-
ed amendment creates Z new Section
! Ii language which world inyali-
date, though II does not directly repeal
Section T. That section provides that
the legislature shall district the state
into 81 senatorial districts. Of Is nearly
equal population IS may be, after each
decennial census. and that If the legs
lature fail or refuses 70 do it the divis-
ion may De made by the Governor, the
Attorney-General and the Secretary Of
State. The proposed amendment pro
vides that after each decelnial census
the legislature of the people shall ere
ate the districts, and creates diSu:c.s
70 stand I'll the census Of 1920, the
population Of the proposed districts hzv-
ing been zpprOEmated Is nearly as
possible without the figures Of the cen
sus Of 1910 OF course this Il adopt
Cd would prevent the Democratic Sen
ate from throwing the work Of reds
Gctiag the state into the hands Of
Major and Roach by refusing TO pass
any redisuicting bill that the House Of
Representatives of 1911 may adopt
This has been the practice Of the Dem
ocEztic Senate for three successive de-
csdes and Senatorial districts have been
geuymzndered by Democratic state
officials.
Il VIII be seen, therefore. that
Messrs- Major and Roach are the two
men II the entire state most interested
IN the defeat Of this proposed amend
ment- If they are 70 be permitted 10
geuyuander the senatorial districts In
1911 they vii save the Senate 70 their
party an6 be ionized for IL Il IS Z
privilege any pzrizan Official would
cling 10 tenzciously- The prospect
that they viii have that privilege, In
case no change Is nzde N the law by
the people, IS not remote-it VIII be
certain If the Senate IS Democratic
IN 1911. Hence the extraordinary ef-
forts OF Major and Roach 10 keep the
proposed amendment away from the
people Under the circumstances
their motives are subject 70 suspicion
and their lane contentious are open 10
ridicule If not 70 contempt They might
have avoided their present predicz-