Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-29
POPULATION BASIS IS
UNFAIR, MANY DECLARE
This, They Say, Would Put
Constitutional Changes in
Hands of Big Counties.

The first rumblings of the battle
that Is coming was heard yesterday,
when Governor Wilson and the Dem
ocratic members of both branches of
the Legislature conferred on the pro-
posed convention.
After a two-hour discussion the
legislators voted in favor of the con-
vention, regardless of the basis Of
representation, by vote of "a to 10.
The plan of the Hennessy bill is
to have the counties of the State rep
resented at the proposed convention
on a basis of population.
Governor Wilson himself declared
that the convention is the thing and
that the method of choosing delegates
Is of secondary consideration.
Whether each county is equally rep
resented or whether the larger coun-
ties furnish more delegates, he said,
made no difference, so long as the
convention is held and much needed
reforms are brought to pass.
Apparently the thirty-four who
voted in favor of convention agreed
with him, but the vote today by no
means makes 1t certain that those
favoring popular representation will
win In the end. The Senate, OF course,
will be the stumbling block. for by
relying on Republicans to vote with
them, the Democrats from the small
er counties hope to be able to defeat
the equal representation plan should
1t come before them.
Small Counties Fearful.
The small county politicians. and
more particularly those of the south
ern counties, as well as the large cor
porate interests, fear that if the ma
jor1ty of the. votes in the State con-
troll the convention, one of the things
that body would do would be to
change the present basis of Senate
representation of one Senator, from
each county, which gives one-fourth
of the voters of the State control Of
legislation.
If it develops that enough legisla-
tors agree with the Governor in be-
lieving the holding of a convention on
any terms to be the all-important
thing, a compromise on the basis OF
| representation would likely result
or promise be made that no attempt
would be made to change the present
Senatorial representation.
Following the conference Mr.. Hen
messy issued the following state
ment:
II am not at liberty to discuss tho
| details of the conference, but I must
say with great respect to the honest
opinion of the Senators and Assem-
| blymen from the smaller counties
that il seems to be the issue they
have raised is vital to the future Of
the Democratic party in this State.
That issue, plainly speaking is
whether a Constitutional Convention,
called by a Democratic Legislature,
shall be Democratically constituted
or not.
Shall the body which is TO be
| called into being to serve a sovereign
people exercising their highest pre-
rogative be so constituted as to truly
I represent the sovereign for whom
and by whom it is created?
! Must Consider People.
! "A constitutional convention is in
theory and IN fact legislature to
make or unmake the fundamental
| law for the people-not North Jersey
nor South Jersey people, but all
kinds and conditions of people 1t
should, therefore, be constituted as
to form and fact so that people-that
is, population-shall be the basis of
it. Any other plan may conceivably
produce a patriotic and a wise con-
vention, but it cannot provide
Democratic convention.
THE issue Is clearly Fundamental
one, involving the principles and the
i good faith of the Democratic party
| What the outcome of the present diff
ferences in our party on this question
may be 1 cannot now see. / shall
continue to hope that some honorable
/ compromise may be arrived at which
will involve 40 substantial sacrifice
of principle or of party prestige"
! Harmony on the question of sup
/ porting Legislation for jury reform
/ did not prevail in the conference and
! there were nine votes against the
resolution promising such support,
| the hostility being to the proposition
i to have the judge appoint the COM
mission. The Governor was very
emphatic in declaring the necessity
| of commission.
i Assemblyman Hennessy's demand
! that the convention shall be repre-
! sentative one of the people and that
/ there shall be no compromise with the
representatives of the big corporate
| interests, who are the real influences
| behind the opposition to a popular
convention, has a strong response
| from other Democratic Legislators.
They declare that the vital point,
which Governor Wilson is inclined to
| surrender. is that of the basis of
representation. BY constituting a
convention composed, as the Senate
now is. of county representatives,
Essex with Nher 512,SS6 population
having no more delegates than Cape
| May with 1915, one-fourth of the
| States population would outvote the
three-fourths in the convention, and
the one-fourth would be largely con-
| trolled by corporate interests.
Democrats Pledged to Convention.
The Democratic party is pledged to
constitutional convention. To or
ganize one with the control given to
a small minority of the voting popu-
lation, it is asserted, would be a
travesty on Democratic principles
and betrayal of the people.
plan that will be proposed in
the Legislature that will not flag
rantly violate Democratic pledges, as
the Governor seems willing to do. is
this: That sixty delegates be elected
on the plan of the election of Assem-
hlvnen and twenty flelepafes On tha