Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-15
.RED|sTR|CT|NC BILL
OFFERED BY MATHEWS
Proposes to Divide Senatorial and
House Districts According
to Population.
CONSTITUTION NOW IGNORED
Great Injustice Done to People of
Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk and
Other Cities and to Rapidly Grow
ing Counties.

=
Other Cities and to Rapidly Grow
ing Counties.
Bills proposing the redistricting of
the State with reference to the repre-
sentation in the General Assembly were
introduced In the Senate yesterday by
provides that the Assembly might re-
district the State in 1906 and that it
should redistrlct It in 1912. This lat
ter provision, which Is said to be man
datory. was ignored by the General
Assembly in 1919. The two bills pro-
viding for this action by the present
Assembly before its adjournment seek
to reduce the number OF members by
one CT two in tho Senate and by "a
few more in the House in order to
leave the Legislature slight play in
tho application OF the rule Of the Con-
stitution. which limits the number OF
Senators to forty and the Delegates
20 100. BY leaving the elasticity IL
Is hoped by the patron TO relieve the
Assembly of the necessity Of redis-
trictlng the entire State In case OF
excessive growth OF some locality.
The Constitution provided that the
State should be redistricted in 1912
and every ten years thereafter. This
provision Is due to the inequality OF
representation that arises from time
and towns and increased population OF
counties. 1t is said that there are
over 100000 in the district represented
In the Senate by Senator Andrews. Tho
present Inequalities OF representation
are primarily due to the growth OF
Richmond. Norfolk, Roanoke, Newport
News, Portsmouth. Hopewell ana other
cities.
CALMLY IGNORE PLAIN
PROVISION OF CONSTITUTIONS
Section 40 Of the Constitution says:
THE apportionment OF the State into
Senatorial and House districts. made by
the acts Of the General Assembly. ap-
but the reapportionment may be made
In the year 1906, and shall be made in
the year 1912 and eery tenth year
thereafter"
This section of the Constitution was
calmly ignored in 1906. In 1912 the
reapportionment bill passed the House.
but died on the Senate calendar. that
body adjourninE and leaving the bill
In the graveyard" The bill was In
troduced in every regular session since
1910. and in 1916 it met the same fate
as before.
The fact that the districts arc un-
equally represented is admitted by
many OF the representatives. There
are, according TO the 1910 census. q
06i.6I2 inhabitants. Virginia has 100
apportionment there should be virtu-
ally 10000 people represented by enc
delegate and 81 500 persons represent
cd by Senator. But the city of Rich-
mond. with population OF lo6.oVo. ac-
cording to the census OF 1910 has only
two Senators, or one Senator t. rep
resent more than 1900 inhabitants.
The city has but FIVE Delegates. leaH-
ing for the city but one vote 10 every
$1,000 Of her citizens, while the county
Of Appomattox, with population OF
loss Than 5000. has a-Yote in the per-
son Of Delegat Burke. The Republi-
can county of Floyd, with Il popula-
;ion Of less than 5000. also has one
Deliberate. In every case where the
pclcEatc IS a Republican except TWO
tho population represented is IN the
Ecighhorhood Of half the number rep
RESENTED by single Delegate in the
city Of Richmond. These counties are
Floyd. Grayson. Carroll. Botciourt.
Lee. Scott. Smyth and Shenandoah.
while Tazcwcll and Buchanan. with
combined population of practically
81. 900. have but one representative ana
Rockingham County and the toYn OF
Harrisonburs. which poll together,
abou, 10000 population. have two Dele
gates.
MANY SMALL COUNTIES
HAVE ONE DELEGATE EACH
Louisa. with 5000; Lunenburg, with
10000; Culpcper, with l3.OUU: Hanover,
with 1900; King William. with 5000;
Nelson. with 5000: Patrick, with H.
600, and others OF as small a popula
ton each have & voting representative
in the House of Delegates. But the
city OF LynchburE, with a population
Of 10000; the city OF Roanoke. with
population of $4,000. in l9i0-nearer
$4,000 at present prcbably-Ncwpor
News. with $4,000 in 1910; Portsmouth,
With $1,000 each have but one represent
tative. whose vote is no greater value
than the vote OF the Delegate from
AppomattoS, which has only 5000. And
tho same holds true OF Norfolk, town
CT nearly 10000 population. which has
but two representatives.
In the Senate, the 67.400 people of
Norfolk have but the voice OF Senator
Senatorial District that of Senator W.
ingham alone has one Senator to its
10000 people. The counties OF Am
herst and Nelson, which have n popula-
ton of less than $4,000. have one Sena-
tor. while Richmond has but one for
every $4,000.
These figures are those OF the 1910
census. The later figures, affecting
Roanoke. Newport News. Norfolk,
Hopewell and other counties and cities
show the disparity of representation in
a far more startling manner. and many
people are saying that the time for
redistricting the State is here TO equal
ize the representation of sthe people
BAKER DOG LAW Is