The Washington herald., 1915-09-08
Representative Government.

The constitutional convention of New York
provided for the short ballot to get rid of "in-
visible government" but it continued the old pro-
hibition against New York City having representa-
ton in the legislature based on population. The
fear is that New York City would dominate the
legislature ii allowed representation the gen.
eral principle of this government which is that
the basis of representation shall be population.
Greater New York has So per cent of the
population of the State and pays IS per cent of
the taxes to support the State government; but the
city is allowed only sixty-three of the $50 assem-
blymen and twenty of the ffty-one Senator'S
That looks very much like minority rule in the
Empire State and it is becoming more pronounced
each year the city increases and the rural dis
tricts decrease in population. While the State
increased its population nearly 100000 in the
last period there were fifteen rural coun-
ties that lost 10000 population. These rural coun-
ties, some of them with now not more than
1 5000 people, are allowed one assemblyman each
by the constitution, while in New York City
there is one assemblyman to represent 100000
people. The same inequality of representation ap-
pears in the State senate but the fear that the city
may dominate the State influenced the convention
to continue this old prohibition which is contra
dictory to the principle OF representative govern
ment, and establishes minority rule.
1t is not alone in New York that this fear of
large cities exists 1t prevails in Illinois against
Chicago, in Missouri against St. Louis and Kan
City, and in other States where the cities have
grown moro rapidly than the rural population. 1t
also prevails in the country at large and mani
tests itself in Congress where there are frank ad
missions that something must be done to curb the
influence of the cities before the next Congress
sional apportionment which will largely increase
the number of representatives from the cities
The nexplicable part of this development of
prejudice against the cities is the indifference OF
those who represent the cities to its existence and
their failure to try to protect the PEOPLE who pay
two-thirds of the taxes to support both State and
Federal governments. New York City tamely
submits to unequal representation and unequal
taxation by the State, and it may not be long
before country member will rise in Con-
gress and propose amendment to the Federal
Constitution providing that representation shall
be based territory instead of on population
Then VIC would have one representative for every
so many acres or square miles and it would be a
simple way of preventing the urban population
from ever becoming the controlling majority in
Congress Then we should have sage brush, big
woods and great swamp representatives, IN tact;
and while Nevada might have many represent
atives as there people living in the State, New
York City and Chicago together would have about
one-haf OF representative. 1t would settle this
old troublesome question of forever keeping down
the city man and preventing him from having any
voice in the expenditure of the money he has to
pay into the Treasury by taxation. 1t would re-
verse the old declaration of no taxation without
representation; but that is what some of
formers have been driving at for some time. 1t
might not be invisible government, but it would
be difficult for the people who pay the taxes to
locate it.