Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-08-18

quite a while that a decision OF tho
Supreme Court sustaining the action
Of Secretary Roach would have TO go
very deep, II the Democratic leaders
have to go with It to It's depth they'll
find that they Cant Come Back.
The opinion. in brief, holds that the
proposed amendment provides only a
temporary fundamental law and there.
fore ought not be engrafted on the
Constitution, which is the permanent
law, but ought to take the form of a
legislative enactment. OF course II
cant take that form now under the
initiative in time to prevent another
gerrymander of the senatorial dis.
tricts, by the Democrats in 1911!
The opinion also points out the fact
that the proposed amendment is not
in proper form because 1t does not ex.
pressly repeal that part of section Z
Article 4, which 1t would invalidate II
adopted That section contains the
provision of the Constitution under
which the Democrats have for thirty
years delegated to the Secretary OF
State and Attorney General and Gov
ernor authority to ~gerrymanier the
districts. II Is as follows;
provided, "Eat II at any anne. or from
any cause. the General Assembly shall
fail or refuse to district the state for sen
ators, as required In this section. ii shall
be the duty Of the Governor, secretary ~
state and Attorney General within thirty
-. .- ~ 80. ,,..,.t - H. .E..
cral Assembly ON which such duty de-
volved. To perform said duty, aud to file
In the office of the Secretary of stat" a
fun statement Of the diStii'iS formed 10y
them, including the names Of the cOun-
ties embraced In each district. and the
numbers thereof; said statement To he
signed by them, and att"st",i by the
Great Seal of State. ana upon the prOcla-
nation OF the Governor, til" same shall
be binding ana effectual as II don" by the
General Assembly
This proviso is now known as the
Democratic Joker" because 1t per-
mits a gerrymander every ten years.
That part Of the proposed amend.
ment which, could 1t be adopted,
would annul the above proviso and
suspend the whole of Section T reads
as follows:
MS NV INlNIl VI NV SNNl' llll' SflihN'-
rial districts shall continue until tn,
United States census of 1920 shall hav,
been taken and tn" result thereof rs (,
this state ascertained, when the district.
shall. by law enacted by III" people, ol
passed by the General assembly. be re-.
vi.ed and adjusted on tn" hass Of tina
census. and every ten years thereafter
upon the basis Of the United States cen,
sus. the districts shall b" revised an,
adjusted by Il law enacted by the propl,
or passed by the General Assembly"
In their honest and supposedly wise
judgment, Republican lawyers believed
that any section Of the Constitution
ment adopted by the people woult
have to get off the bench and take
back seat. but they know more now
You can't get rid of a provision unde
which the Democrats may continue Il
g~errymander the senatorial district
without hitting 1t squarely between
the eyes with "A legal sledge hamme
and then proving to the Secretary o
State that your blow was constitu
tional.
Since the Supreme Court ha
knocked sky high according to tn
st. Louis Republic) the prOpose'
amendment under which the peopl
might have released the grip of tn
corporations, the lobbyists and tn
interests" on the State Senate by re
districting the state, with their owI
votes, the most immediate and effect
i've remedy Is to elect enough Reput
licans this year to control the SCEat
and insure the passage o! al homes
re-districting bill. Otherwise the s.!
ate will again ucicat any and all re
districting bills and thus empoWe
Con. Roach, Secretary OF State, wit
the assistance of Attorney Genera
Major, to gerrymander the state jus
as his Democratic predecessors did /
1851, 1891 and 1901.