The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-01-04

sary and proper for the services per-
formed.
Before acting on this proposition
| congress 1 recommend your asking ths
| attorney general for his opinion upon
| this question of its legal construction
| Election of State Senators on q Gem
eral Ticket
The present system of representa-
| ton in the general assembly has been
| from time to time the subject of COM
| plant by inha bitants of the larger
| towns. The constitutional convention
| of 1902 was an outgrowth Of such
complaints, but accomplished nothing
toward allayfng them.
The subject is one that has engaged
my attention as a student of Connec-
ticut history, for many years, and
submit to your consideration the result
of my reflections.
1t is commonly agreed to be desir-
able in framing the constitution Of an
American State, to divide the Leg1sga-
ture into two chambers. each acting as
a balance to the other. So far as pos
sible they should represent constituen-
cies of a different kind It is a source
Of strength to the United States that
Congress is thus divided into one house
representing the States, and another
representing the people. This ddvts-
ion of legislative power is a natural
one. 1t rests upon a solid rhetorical
foundation. The States. as sovereign
powers, are natural units of represen-
tation. and each. by its allotment OF
two Senators. is put upon an equality
In the upper house with any other.
Every individual citizen is also a nat
ural unit of representation, and in
constituting the House Of Representa-
tives. population Is given its due
weight.
It is believed that the trainers Of the
looked especially to the history Of Con-
necticut in devising their legislative
scheme. We had had since 1914 4
General Assembly or. as IT was at first
called, a general court. composed of
two bodies, one representing the sew
eral towns and the other representing
the people at large. and no law could
be passed which did not receive The
assent of each. These two bodies
originally sat together, but were sep
arated into two houses before the close
Of the seventeenth century.
The Senators in our State Constftb
ton Of 1913 replaced an equal number
of Assistants. of whom Heretofore
These assistants. or ''magistratesc.
as they were originally called, had
been elected on a general ticket by a
popular vote, since 1899. when our
colonial government was first set up.
In the convention which, framed our
constitution a proposition to substf-
tute the district system for an election
by the people at large was made, but
defeated by vote of 1875 to As. Ten
years later, however, this change was
introduced under an amendment to
the constitution and adopted by the
close vote of $500 to 1873. The stats
was then mapped out into twenty-ons
districts, each electing one senator
from fits own inha bitants, but fn form
ing districts the amendment required
each county to have at least two and
forbade more than one In any town.
These last provisions made It abso-
lutely impossible from the first to Sc
cure an equality of population, in each
of the senatorial districts. Under the
thfrty-first amendment to the consti-
tuition, adopted in 1901 with view Of
lessening such inequalities, they have
been reduced, but are still consider
able. In the Tenth district, for in
stance, by the census OF 1900 the pop
ulatfon was 81, 156 and I'm the Twenty
seventh Blob, while in the Thirty
third it was but 2O,362 and I'm three
others less than q 500.
It will be seen from the census re-
turns that while, according TO that
census, the average population Of
district should be 1850 the inequaI-
ties now existing. as disclosed by the
census of 1910, are, in fact, very great.
Thus the Twenty-eighth and Thirty
fourth districts are each below II 100,
and the Thirty-frst is barely over r.
600, while the Sixth contains nearly
1900 and the Twenty-seventh over
$4,000.
I recommend to your consideration
the submission to the people of an
amendment to our constitution by
which, If ratified, we shall return to
the method under which our general
assembly was constituted from its orr
gin in 1914 until 1928.
The present number Of Senator'S
seems to me better adapted to existing
conditions than the smaller number.
chosen prior to 1923. There should
also be some provision to secure a fair
representation to the minority az well
as to the majority Of the electors.
This, which is now partially attained
Dy LIIG dISITCI eyCbCAlAs t<A4A NC A>1<@s~.
attained by an election on a general
ticket. so regulated that no one shall
vote for more than a bare majority OF
those nominated. or that the electors
may cumulate their votes. on the pr1n-
ciple of proportionate representation
This reveq sion to our ancient policy.
in my opinion, would be a fair. and
should b a final settlement of a long
standing difference between the small
and the large towns It would leave
the lower house as it 70. body COM
posed of representatives Of the towns,
and restore the Senate to what It 50
long was-a body composed Of tbs
REPRESENTATIVES of the whole people,
Irrespective of town or county lines
The towns could thus prevent any leg
islation unfavorable TO their special I
interests; and the people would be
assured against legislation unfavorabie
to the general interest It goes with
out saying also that, with the larger
liberty of choice. it would be more
likely that the Senate would be se-
lected from the best men I'm the Stale.
AS it is, the fittest man In one party
may reside in a Senatorial District
where 1t is in a minority: and In an
other, where II is in a majority. u
may nominate an inferior man. eather
because II has no better person 70
suggest, or because his election ID
deemed certain.
In the larger towns, electfng several
Senators, this change would be par1c-
ularly beneficial Eligibility To the
Senate ought surely never to depend.