Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-20
The Republican Apportioument.

Delaware enters upon n campaign IN
volving the holding OF State convention
without changr in the apportionmcnt OF
convention dclegates The convention
called for Tuesday, August 20, VII bc
composed of 100 delegates. and these
delegates will be aprortioncd among tho
four political districts into which the
State is divided for Republican party
primary purposes, rs follows
First district (city Of Wilmington
40 delegates.
Second district rural New Castle
countvl-3S delegates.
Third district ikcnt countyl-40 dele
gates
Fourth district Sussex county, 42
delegates
This apportionment was adopted nearly
half a century ago in lS70- and At
the time was in accord with the pnncple
of reprrscntation according 10 pop u
t,on. to which the Republican party
then committed itself, and urged its
eral Assembly. Al that time, these four
districts were almost equal in respect Of
population, hence the almost equal dl-
VISION OF the entire number OF dele
gates among them.
Today this apportionmCnt Is conspcu-
Gus FOR It's unfairness IN respect Of any
thing like equal representation during
its continuance. while the population Of
tho rural portion Of the State has increased
slowly and inconsequcntiaily, the popula-
tion Of Wilmington has made great
strides. from less than 10000 in 1870,
the city has grown 70 more than hundred
thousand A police census taken several
wears ago showed 106. 900. and reasonable
estimates increase these figures today to
Al least 10000 But the representation
OF Wilmington Republicans in the State
conventions Of their party stands where
IL was established nearly half q century
ago
From the first this apporhonmcnt Was
a source of trouble-factional trouble
in the Republican party 1t enables
combinations TO I've easily formed for
control Of the convention. Kent and
Sussex counties, with 50 delegates, con
stitue q majority. a combination Of
Wilmington and Sussex also would have
like result. In days gone by, the latter
combination was a favorite one.
Notwithstanding this dissatisfaction,
and the numerous instances OF offensive
combinations being effected under IT,,
the apportionmcnt OF 1870 has continued
without effective change 10 tins day. It
was changed at one time, during the
split IN the party over Addicks' attempts
10 buy seat in the United States Senate
from this State, but settled back 10 the
old apportionment after Addlcks iinan-
cial bankruptcy gave opportunity for
union of the factions.
While the apportlonment may be
changed by any State convention, no
serious attempt IN this direction has been
made recently, and there Is no inumation
Lildt tic suDitEt Will ~ tNtA CSAAo1ICAC0
at the State Convention 10 be held at
Dover next month The grossly unequal
division of delegates. SO lar as " Imington
is concerned, Is likely to be continued
indefinitely.
Representation in Democratic State
conventions IS based on the counties,
with equal representation, each county
having 90 delegates Originally the APP
pointment called for 80 delegates from
each county, but when Wilmington Demo
Gratis began to increase their representa-
fion, as the number of wards IN the city
was increased, SO as TO have one delegate
from each ward. Kent and Sussex Demo
Gratis began 10 sit up and take notice
Finally, after the adoption Of the new
Constitution and the present RepIesenta-
tive apportionment for the General Az
sembly, Wilmington was allowed ID
delegates, three from each Representative
district, and the rest Of New Castle county
30 delegates, five from each Representa-
tive district But five delegates were
added to the representation Of both Kent
and Sussex counties, SO that the county
apportionment continues equal.