The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-10-22

ficial constructions 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 than less, socially
homogeneous. The taxes arc paid at
the county court house, the sessions
OF the court for the county are held
there. That is where the Grand Jury
and the county board convenes. 1t is
the seat of all the activities of the
county government.
The County the Natural Legislative
Unit =
The farmers and teachers and other
groups have their county institutes,
There are the county fairs and county
conventions. These county wide &C
tivities and relationships tend to pro-
mote county wide interest and under
standing and to develop a county
wide community spirit. Their COM
bined interests represent all the in
terests in the state. One county's
chief interest may be mining, another
power and transportation, another
manufacturing, another dairying and
so OH. All of this makes the county
the natural unit for the election of
common representative to the state
legislative body and it is recog-
nized and adopted as such by seven
teen states, including New York
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Mis-
souri,. In the states not providing for
either town or county representation
the interest of the entire state is so
homogeneous as to make county rep
resentation unnecessary.
1t is true there may be and there
are disparities in the population os
the various Countess Some times
there are wide differences and follows
ing the lines of the National House
of Representatives the more popu-
lous counties may be given additional
representation apportioned in each
county on the basis of registered vot-
ing citizens and because county
may not have large population as
compared with another is not a valid
argument why it should be denied
representation. The main thing to
be considered is how is the state to
obtain Legislature in harmony with
American principles that will fairly,
intelligently and honestly represent
all interests i'll the state and provide
best for the perpetuity of the state
and the well being of its inhabitants.
In most counties the character and
personality OF its representative
would be known to most of the voting
inhabitants. This widespread mutual
mountaineering acts as a powerful
factor in determining the decisions
and actions of men holding repre.
sentative positions. Such acquaint-
anceship obtains in most counties but
it does not to any such degree in the
great cities. This fact forms one of
the chief arguments against over
throwing the principles for Illinois
which have governed the selection of
most of our American Legislative as
semblies in states analogous to
Illinois.
1t is clear from the foregoing that
the proposed clause for the new con-
stitution limiting Cook county in both
branches OF the Legislature is
thoroughly American and in full har-
mony with all the historical prece-
dents.
*Note-Further reasons for the
legislative limitation of Chicago will
be considered in succeeding numbers
OF the Issue.
+There is no greater disparity in
the population of Illinois counties
than in the counties of Missouri or
Pennsylvania. The latter has four
counties with less than 10000 popu-
lation each, Missouri seven and Illi-
nois four. Both Missouri and
Pennsylvania use the county as the
unit of representation as is proposed
for Illinois.