The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-11-05
True Principles Of Legislative Representation
History of Representative Government in Shows Popua
ton Alone Not True Basis

1ae opponents of limitation of
Cook county in the Legislature make
the assertion that the proposed limita-
ton is not in harmony with the prin-
ciples upon which our government is
founded and therefore un-American.
We submit the following statement
i'll support of the proposition that pre-
cedents show that population alone
is not the basis upon which our rep
resentative government is founded.
The Constitution of the United
States provides that each state shall
be represented in the Congress by
two Senator's and at least one men,
Der of the House of Representatives.
Under this provision of the Consttu-
ton one-twelfth of the states in the
Union at this time have each one
member i'll the House of Representa-
tives while the population in each OF
these states does not equal Con-
gressional ratio.
Thus the principle of apporton-
ment FOR BOTH HOUSES OF
/ CONGRESS is a combination OF pop
ulaton and territorial representa-
ton. Not population alone for either
house as is proposed for Illinois by
the opponents of limitation in both
branches.
Each state also as a state is repre-
scented by two members in the Elec-
toral College, the remainder being
apportioned to each state according
to population. Thus it happens that
four states have three members each
in the Electoral College while on the
basis of population they would not
be entitled to any.
Representative Government Not a
Pure Democracy
This is Representative govern
ment not a pure democracy and it
sometimes happens that the action Of
"a majority of the representatives
does not express the will OF ajor-
ity of the people-as illustrated by
the fact that majority OF the popu-
lar vote for President has sometimes
been cast for the candidate receiving
minority vote of the Representatives
i'll the Electoral College. In other
words the founders OF the national
government were not so particular
to frame our Representative govern
mcnt SO that the majority popular
will should always be the guide as
to see that each state should be rep
resented.
Should this principle be followed in
forming the Legislatures OF the
states? Certainly it can be maintain
ed that such constitution OF our state
Legislatures is not violation of the
principle upon which the Federal gov
ernmen. is founded. Nor that it is
un-American.
If this principle is followed in form
ing our Illinois Legislature what
should be selected as the unit from
which at least one delegate to the
House of representatives should be
chosen? While it is true that the
county does not occupy the same
historical or legal relation to the
state that the state does to the ma
ton yet socially and to at least some
degree politically it may occupy ex-
actly such relation.
The First Representative Assembly
In America
The first representative assembly
in the country approaching the char
acter of state Legislature was call
ed by Governor Yeardley of Virginia
in 1919, and consisted OF two Bur
gesses out of every Town, Hundred
or other particular plantation to be
respectively chosen by the inhab
tants." This formed the principle of
Representative government in this
country. The towns or plantations
were the unit of representation not
a particular number of people. The
exact plan of Governor Yeardley
continues to this day in most of the
New England states, thus New
Haven, Connecticut, has no more
representation in the state Legisla-
ture than the smallest town i'll the
state. The same principle obtains in
Rhode Island, Vermont and New
Hampshire.
When what are now our Western
states were constructed i'll territories
by the Federal government they were
laid out in townships and counties,
were formed by joining together
townships for administrative pur-
poses. So while the counties are
purely artificial construction yet they
have come to have in a broader way
something of the nature of the old
New England towns. The average
county is more or less, usually more