The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-02-28
WILL SHOOT
THROUGH
VERY SOON
TIMES BUREAU,
At STATE CAPITAL.

AT STATE CAPITAL.
Indianapolis. Ind. Feb. 2s.--It is the
plan of the democrats now to pass a
legislative apportionment bill in both
houses not later than Wednesday. and
ii is understood that arrangements
have all been made for shooting tbs
bill through in short order.
Senator CRUDE of Plymouth. who is
chairman of the senate committee on
legislative apportionment, has intro
duced a bill in the senate and Repre-
sentative Lieb of Rockport. chairman
of the committee in the house, has in
troduced bill in the lower branch.
These will form the basis for the bill
which will finally. be adopted. 1t is
not believed that many changes will
be made in the present apportionment
though there will be some made in the
larger counties and in places where
the growth of population has been
rapid.
Il introduced the apportionment
bill said Senator CRUDE, after much
elaboration and with view to serv-
ing the best interests of the state.
Whether the bill is passed in it's pres
| ent form or is amended better to suit
| the views of the members of the gem
| eral assembly, or whether some other
! bill be passed makes no difference to
| me. 1 am not bidding for adver-
tisement nor am I seeking glory I
have faith in the members of the ma
| jority in the legislature and / believe
that when it does decide bill it
will be good bill and will meet with
| the approval of the people of Indi
\ ana.
There is no question but that Indi-
ana is badly in need OF a new legisla-
1 tn
| portionment was enacted eight years
ago and according to the constitution
| there may be a new apportionment for
legislative purposes every six years. So
we are now two years behind the
schedule Since the last apportionment
was made the state Shas passed through
many changes in population. Our
| population has not materially increas
ed. but it has shifted from the rural
] localities to the larger centers. For
| example. Putnam county, which has
always been entitled to one rspre-
| sentative, with a voting population of
$40. lacks 1900 of coming up TO the
/ requirements. and the senatorial dis
| trict of Lagrange and Noble lacks .,
| 500 On the other hand the senatorial
district of st. Joseph and Laporte has
entirely outgrown its clothes. Lake
| county, which is now Joined in a sena-
| torial district with Porter. has so i'm
| creased in popAation that it is enti-
tied 10 a senatde of its own. as well as
! joint senator with Porter. Prac-
| tically all of the counties having large
| cities. like South Bend. Fort Wayne
| Indiana polls, Terre Haute and Evans
| VILE. have Increased in population
| while the other counties have either
| remained stationary have suffered
Iutely necessary to have a new a2por-
| tionment to meet the shifting changes
| in population.
The making OF legislative APP
| portionment, in my opinion, is one Of
the most important as well as one of
the most disagreeable tasks before tn
| Legislature. 1t is important because it
! deals with the very fundamental prin-
| ciples of representative government,
and it is disagreeable because of the
contending forces and the impossible
ty to please everybody in the state.
OF course. apportionment bills al
| ways passed caucus measures. and
| always will be passed in that manner
as long the present system of ap-
portionment remains in operation.
Il regard the plan of apportionment
as proposed in the constitution as
an exceedingly good thing for the peo-
pie of this state, because it Will for
ever do away with the unpleasant and,
in many cases, unjust. practice of ger
rymander, far as the house of rep
resentatives is concerned. The plan is
a square deal to every one 1t pro-
vides that each county in the state
shall have one representative and the
larger counties shall be entitled to adj
ditional representatives in proportion
} to their excess population The coun-
ty is the only just unit of representa-
tion. 1t is the unit OF self-govern
ment.
Our present system of apportion-
ment, as compared with the plan pro-
posed in the new constitution, stands
without a single argument in it's favor.
What are the tendencies of our pres
| ent system Of gerrymander? Simply
; this: the smaller counties are either
DISTINGUISHED entirely or become the
, political tool of the party in power
8 Let me cite an injustice of the
present system; If Whitley county
had as many votes as It's sister coun-
: ties it would be entitled. mathematical
ly speaking. to one-third of a repre-
/. sentative. Then it follows that each
l voter in Whitley county casts one
D third of vote for a representative il
5 district the political will of whicf
, is absolutely disfranchased, and there
fore it's vote is entirely lost.
3 The people of Marion county. ~
reason of excessive population. are
e now entitled to ten representatives
The ration between a Whitley county
voter and a Marion county voter there
fore is one-third to ten or one t
thirty.
u believe If the new system
adopted it will be a great step in ad
vance and go far toward eliminatinf
A the unjust practice of party control 0
e the various counties.
Il do not contend that this proposed
: ! system is absolutely faultless. but t
i any fair-minded man, it seems to me
: | it must appeal as a great improve
t ment.''
j