Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-31

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lation under this resolve will be given
20 out of SO senators. I believe that
the results of this resolve, if passed,
will be far-reaching. l cannot see the
end. believe. however, that we may
safely assume that some of them
would be selfishness, unrest, anarchy,
revolution. I believe that the consti-
tuition of the United States under Ar
ticle 4, Section 4, is controyerted by
any such resolve as this, insofar as it
guarantees to every state in the Union
a republican form of government and
not an oligarchy,-I believe that this
resolve would violate the 14th amend
ment of the constitution, although l
have failed to find any construction
that has ever been placed upon this
feature. I believe further, and under
that 14th amendment, that it belongs
to the same stripe as class legislation
and special privilege. And finally.
gentlemen. 1 want to go on record,
with Hancock and Adams and Wash
ington, on this fundamental principle
of equal representation insofar rs 1t
may be consistently consummated by
all human effort.
Now, gentlemen, I want to call
your attention to the resolve itself.
(Chart displayed)
Gentlemen, want to refer you par
ticularly to the bases of apportion-
ment in this resolve which may be
designated as population, a fixed
number. and maximum and minimum
limits. And 1 shall prove positively
that no human ingenuity can appor-
ton this State under it.
In the year 1920 the census gives for
Maine a population of 76S,014. If we
divide that population by 80, which is
the proposed number of State sena-
tors under this resolve, we get 49,
692 or approximately 10000. If we ap-
ply that standard to the County of
Aroostook instead of getting three as
under the resolve we get four If
you apply that Standard to Penobscot
instead of getting three you will also
get four. Now if you add you will
get IL, according to the population;
you only get 80 under the resolve. In
short, the apportionment under the
fixed number, the population, and the
maximum and minimum limits which
are proposed is a mathematical alb
surdity and is Therefore impossible. If
the trainers of this method of appor-
tionment cannot apportion under it, L
hope that it will be consigned to the
scrap heap of human inconsistencies
in order that future generations may
not question our sanity.
/ Mr. President, l now renew my mo-
ton that the two resolves be inded-
nitely postponed.
Mr.. SPRAGUE of Piscataquis: Mr.
President, | have no doubt every
member in this Senate knows just
how he is going to vote. l think that
any talk or discussion is futile be-
cause this matter has been considered
not only in the committees but by two
= conferences of the Senate and by the
members of this Legislature a great
deal of the time this winter.
The reason why your committee
have presented this resolve at this
time is because majority of that
committee believed that if redistrct-
ing of counties was to go on, under
the present system, if the represen-
tation in the Senate was to remain
upon the present basis, that your Sem
ate would soon be out of balance and
out of fair and just proportion as a
whole State, as between the interests
of the different sections of this State.
AS l understand it, Mr.. President, I
do not think there is any disagree
ment on the proposition that our form
of government, our National govern
ment and our State. is founded upon
a system of checks and balances.
Now the Senate, Smller body, has
always been supposed to be a little
more deliberative, a little more a bal
ance- wheel, perhaps, than the more
popular assembly. the House of Rep
resentatives as we call it in our
State When that body is unbalanced,
it is certainly a dangerous condition
to be drifting into in my opinion.
Now your population is increasing
in the counties of Cumberland and
iAndroscoggin, where they two larg
lest cities of your State are, more than
in any other part of the State. The
only country that is increasing in
anything near the proportion is the
county of Aroostook Now if we keep
on, if we go on in this way, soon
three counties in the southwestern
part of this State will be in a condi-
ton and will have the power in the
State Senate to dictate to the State
of Maine what her policies shall be
in regard to the settlement of her diff
ferent interests which come before
the Legislature. l ask you if that is
a safe proposition?
] believe that this plan of ours fixes
it so that it would be impossible for
it to ever be unbalanced, because if
i Aroostook and PenobScot should hap
pen to get ahead of the Others each
county having two, they never would
be in any danger from unfairness-I
do OF man to express myself exactly
that way-they would never be in
danger of results of an unfair balance
of power in the Senate. Now that to
my mind, to the mind of a majority of
our committee, was becoming, as the
popultion increases, serious matter
in the State. We should, redistrict-
ing it according to the increase in
population under the Constitution as
it is now-should give Cumberland
FIVE Senators-it is my impression
five, at this time.
Now this is not anything new in the
history of the government of Maine.
Why, they talk as though this was an
entirely new eXDeriment But the