Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-16
A Memorial Meeting

On the I'd of January l participated In
the memorial meeting OF the bar, held in
tho Court of Common Pleas No. 2 and
presided over by Chief Justice Mitchell,
upon the death of Judge j. l. Clark Hare.
Chief Justice Mitchell, John Samuel, Sam.
uel Dickson, Judge Mayer Sulzberger. Rich
ard l.. Ashhurst, George Tucker Bispham.
William Fighter Fisher, Henry II. Hatfield,
William II. Stake and 1 made addresses.
Ashhurst. a stout man, a gentleman OF re.
finement and culture, who had had n mill
tary record at Gettysburg, who had been
counsel for great railroad corporations, and
later was postmastc: in Philadelphia, leav.
ing his cane behind him, upon an ocean
pier at Atlantic City. disappeared in tho
ocean January 80, 1911. and was heard Of
no more.
In the message to the Legislature said:
Since its adjournment wave of popu-
lar and political unrest and commotion
has spread over the land and left Its
impress In our own Commonwealth as
well as elsewhere. Such upheavals, to
whatever causes they may be due, are to
be regarded not as disasters, but as op-
portunities. 1t is at such times that
much may be accomplished by wise lcgs-
lators to enhance the public veal The
unfortunate failure of the Greater Pitts
burgh legislation through the finding OF
the Supreme Court that the act was un-
constitutional. and the failure of bank
Incorporated and supervised by the Ma
tlonal Government, holding at the time
large amount of state funds, have
given the legal occasion for the calling
of the Legislature together in eXtraordi-
nary session under Article ", Section
~. of the Constitution. / have besides
been unwilling that the present popular
disturbance should subside without Sc
curing more permanent results than tho
substitution Of one contractor for an
other the removal of incumbents from
Office, the overthrow of one political
party or faction and tho elevation of
their opponents. and the suppression of
one private ambition in order that an
other may be fostered and Gratifled
-. The opportunity TO help the
Commonwealth in these respects has
come TO you rather than to your prede-
cessors or successors The responsible
ity rests with you.
With respect TO apportionment. pre-
sented to the Legislature this view:
The time has come when n reapportion.
ment Of the State into senatorial and rep
resentative districts In compliance with
the command of the Constitution must be
made. 1t Is enough to say that you are
required by the fundamental law your
oaths of office and your consciences to
make this reapportionmcnt but, were
anything more needed. it is manifest that
the present division of the State is a mis-.
ht which grows into greater dispropor.
ton with each day and Is fraught with
great injustice. Some men are deprived
of their right and others are loaded with
what does not belong to them The diff
culties in the way must be overcome. 1t
is unnecessary to repeat here what was
fully presented In my last message, to
which you are referred, but the Consti-
tuition itself offers almost insupcrable OBJ
stacles and cannot in all of its details
be followed. 1t must, therefore, yield in
what is of least importance to such an
extent as to permit an apportionment
to be made. In constituting the instru-
ment we must draw distinction between
the mandate to divide the State into
districts which Is absolute and must be
obeyed, and the method provided, which
is directory only and is not OF the same
fundamental Importance. This method
ought to be followed as closely as pos
sible, but where the result cannot other
wise be secured, must be set aside. BY
dividing the lines of a few of the coun-
ties a fairly equitable apportionment may
be made and one in accord with all of the
other requirements.