Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-11-14
A GREAT INJUSTICE.

"A UASE<kAAe l4NO OoAASAIs
AS soon as Senator Bourne sue
ceeds in getting the method Of APP
portioning delegates to the republi-
can national convention grounded
in right and justice, it is to be hop
ed he will attack that other and
greater evil--the one permitting
representation In congress and the
electoral college based upon vote
not allowed to be exercised. The
south insists this is white mai s
government and that only white
men should be allowed to vote. II
that principle is going to be recog-
nized and enforced SO far as voting
is concerned 1t ought to be rec0g-
nszed and enforced In apportionfng
representation. Take the state Of
Mississippi, for instance, and see
how ''the white mans government"
would fare under strict application
OF what that implies. According to
the 1910 census Mississippi has
white population Of 1918 and a
colored population of 1,O00,4S7, a
total Of 1,786,6O6. Mississippi has
eight members of the lower house Of
congress and 20 votes in the elect
oral college. In these matters Mis-
sissippi is granted more because OF
the colored population than because
of the white population. Iowa, with
white population Of more than b
100000, has only three more menu
bers Of congress than Mississippi
has with q white population of only
7s6,119. At the presidential cleo
ton in 1908 Mississippi cast 64.-
$50 votes, giving Bryan twenty
votes in the electoral college one
vote for every 3,400 voters. lows
cast in 1908, 475,sS2 votes. giving
Taft twenty-six In the electoral coll
lege-one electoral vote for every
1890 voters. Ii there anybody
who thinks this is a square deal? Is
there any democrat in Iowa who has
the hardihood to defend the sup
preston OF the Negro vote and then
Insist upon counting, the negro pop
ulation in apportioning representa-
ton in congress and the electoral
college? To the credit Of the demo-
cratic party OF the north 1t can be
said that no defense Of this situl-
tion has been attempted, but to the
discredit OF the democratic party
everywhere no democrat of promi-
nence has yet appeared upon the
scene with the honesty and courage
to denounce the outrage. It Is equal
~ to the disgrace OF the republican
party that the party has not the
moral courage and the inclination
to attack this evil and correct It.
the fact the party
is in power, pledged to enforce the
OF the United States.
Mississippi is by no means an ex-
ceptional southern state In this re-
spect. Take Georgia, for instance,
and compare 1t with Iowa. The
white population Of Georgia is l.
431,S16 and the colored population
is 1862, total Of 2,608.s03. In
1908 Georgia cast 114,106 votes,
giving Bryan twenty-six-the same
number Iowa gave Taft-in the
electoral college. One vote In Geor-
gia counts as much az four votes In
Iowa in the election OF president
of the United States. Under the new
apportionment, based upon the 1910
census, Georgia will have greater
representation than Iowa in con-
gress and the electoral college. Dem
ocrats who are continually looking
for something to denounce ought 10
tackle this evil. 1t is a condition
that cannot continue indefinitely
under a government Of. by and for
the people. 1t is contrary to the In
terests OF a free people. 1t is con-
trary to the provisions Of the con-
stitutfon and is unfair, unjust and