The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-19
CONGRESSIONAL. DISTRICTS.

ing the state into ScDatc Huu hcPfc
sentative districts for legislative pur
poses, introduced bill to apportior
1.-THE State into separate districts for the
1.-TWO Representatives in Congress. lil'
proposition is TO divide salt Lake coun
ty by putting the city in one district
and the portion of the county outside
of the city. in another district. With
the city he would put the northern
counties. and with the county he would
put the southern counties That Is, the
irst district would comprise Salt Lake
City and the counties Of Cache. Davis
Summit, Morgan, Box Elder, Rich, and
Weber. This district would have a
population of 1868. The county OF
Salt Lake outside Of the city would be
put with the other counties Of the
State, giving. the second district pop
ulation of lS5,G0s.
This method of making up the two
districts is thoroughly Objectionable,
in that it divides Salt Lake county,
putting part OF it in ono Congressional
district and the other part in another.
II divides the interests OF the county,
separates the city from the great min"
ing production Immediately contiguous
TO it, cuts into the closely connected
business relations, and would insure,
az il is perhaps meant to insure, con
tinuance of the present unsatisfactory
representation OF the State in Congress,
through which the great business inter.
ests Of this region and of this State
have practically no representation. We
have two members of Congress now,
neither Of them connected with any
large business interests OF operation,
and neither having any particular
training or conception of large business
affairs. When we add that the cutting
in two of the business interests Of this
Immediate region. rs proposed in this
Rideout apportionment, would continue
that misrepresentation of the business
interests, the Objectionable end of the
plan is evident.
To thus divide Salt Lake county
would be to weaken the interests con-
centrated here and make each prey
to the rural communities with which
the apportionment as proposed would
associate them. Besides, the great
growing section of the State is includ-
ed in the district that is given the
greater,total population OF the two,
Manifestly TO divide Salt Lake coup-
ty as proposed, is to sacrifice the busi-
ness interests here and to deny repre-
sentation to those interests, Just as has
been the case right along. 1t is I'M
possible for rs at present, just as 1t
has been impossible all along. to rely
upen our Representative in the lower
house for any work of material import
ance therein, because the Representa-
tive has not been in touch with the
large business interests involved, just
as neither of our Representatives elect
ed now is in touch with them.
Under that scheme the city Of Salt
Lake would be ont-voted all the time,
by combination Of 94,s76 population
against her 92,777; and the county dis
tricts would be overslaughed by a pop
ulation of 147,245 to their 3s,649, a
hopeless minority. So this county, dis
membered and helpless, would be at the
untender mercy Of hostile majorities
both in the north and in the south, and
could never hope for any recognition.
There should be at least one business
Representative from Utah, one who
would be in close touch with the large
interests Of the State, and with the
growing element in the population. In
place OF the districting as suggested by
Mr.. Rideout, we would propose the di-
viding of the State into two Represen-
tstive districts, the first of which
would be composed of the counties oil
Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Summit and
Weber, with an aggregate population
Of Is7 ,l63: the remainder Of the State,
with an aggregate population of 49,,
SSS, would form the other district and
would be homogeneous constituency in
which the interests involved would be
rural and relating. The first dis
trict as proposed by us would lie the
business district, and would presum.
ably be represented by a live, active
business man, man who would have
Of the interests of his dis
trict. and who would be able to repre-
sent, protect. and defend those inter
ests at any time or in any place. Such
n Representative VIC have not now in
Congress, nor have we had for Ion +!
time. Mr.. C. Z. Allen, the first Repre-
sentative from the State. was far and
away above any other Representative
we have ever had, unless we might
except in a lesser degree Judge King,
who unfortunately belongs 10 u party
whose dominant principles seem 10 be
TO the local interests OF
Utah.
II would be great afl1ictiou upon
the people of the distluctiyely business
sections of the State TO have the III
vision of those business interests put
into effect as Mr.. Ridcout proposes; TO.