The Arizona copper camp., 1916-08-04

stitution for the reform of the legisla-
tive system of Arizona has been sub
mitted by w. M. Adamson nayor of
Douglass
~ There has never been a more popu-
Tar initiatiye measure suggested to the
voters of the state than the one which
proposes an amendment to the state
constitution for the Encouragement of
our legislative representation so that
members of the lower house will each
be selected from a fixed district. AS.
for instance, the seven members of
the legislature from Cochise county
so laid out as to contain not less than
fifteen hundred voters. BY this meth
cd the principle of home rule will be
applied in the formation of our future
legislatures. In the selection two
years ago there. were TWO senators and
seven members of the house of repre-
sentatives chosen in Cochise county
Douglas the largest voting district in
the county, only secured one represen-
tative while the Warren district, with
only a few more votes, secured one
senator and four members of the legis-
lature. Such unequal representation
could not occur again anywhere in the
state with the adoption of the amend
ment proposed by tne bipartisan
legislative league, with headquarters in
this city. The petitions for this in
itiat1ve measure have been sent for.
ward to the secretary of state and the
amendment will appear on the ballot
in November With these petitions,
which were circulated all over the
state, went the following argument in
favor of the amendment, submitted
by Mayor W. M. Adamson, of Douglas:
The proposed amendment to -our
state constitution providing for the
election of members of our state leg
islature by legislative districts is not
an innovation; it is in effect in many
of our states. tt is based on the same
principle and follows the same rule
that has been in effect since the for
nation of our government in the cleo
ton of senators and representatives to
our national congress- Senators are
elected from the states at large repre-
sentatives from congressional districts.
In this proposed amendment the ap-
portionment is so made and it is def
initely stated, that no county shall have
less representation in the state legis-
lature than it has at present, but it
provides for an increase in the repre-
sentation when the population of the
county justifies it. The constitutional
provision now in effect does not make
any allowance for increase in repre-
sentation with the growth of popula-
tion in this state. The proposed
amendment gives each county equit-
able representation, and provides a sys-
tenn of home rule by which every sec
tion of the state can have its repre-
sentation in the legislature, so that
each particular locality of 1900 voters
after it's interests
SHALL have representative to look
When you consider the diversified
resources of some of our counties,
this feature of the amendment is par,
ticularlys desirable. 1t is a means of
securing the best qualified men in
each locality to become candidates for
the legislature, for the reason that in
small districts of 1900 voters where a
man is known to every voter in the
district his qualifications to represent
a particular district in the legislature
will be the consideration with the great
bulk of the voters, rather than his po-
hlitieal affiliations
How many voters can call by name
or know anything of tne men from the
respective counties who represented
them in the last legislature? We VEN
ture to say very small number of the
voters know even the names, much less
the qualifications, of their representa-
tives, who make the laws that govern
them, and who provide for the expendi-
ture of the millions of dollars collected
in taxes in this state Lhey were elect
ed at large from the counties, and the
average voter voted sv,f them simply
because their names appeared on the
ticket he usually vote~, no attention
whatever being paid to their qualifica-
/ tions.
Mr.. Voter, ask yourself this ques-
tion: Who represented me in the leg
islature last session? If these men
were elected by legislative districts of
1900 voters, every voter in the district
would be intimately acquainted with
his representative and his quaIifica-
tions for the position; every section of
your county would have equitable rep
resentation, and the more populous
sections would have no advantage over
the more thinly populated portions of
the country. Each would have an equal
chance to elect its own representatives.
The constitution of this state grants
women the right of suffrage, and this
necessarily carries with it the right
to hold office. The legislature is a
fruitful field for the activities of
women interested in political affairs,
but il is almost a physical impossi-
bility for woman to make cam