The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-05-11
REINFORCEMENT
SEEMS STILL TO BE
VERY VITAL FACTOR
Plan of Reduction Of Senate
And House Membership
Under Fire
ST. LANDRY-ACADIA
IN FAVORED CLASS
Ratio of Representation
May be Fixed at Twenty
Thousand Population

Some time ago it was announced I
and generally accepted that the con-
stitutional convention had finally
agreed on the apportionment and rep
resentation in the senate and house
of representatives of the next state
legislature. Under the plan as then
announced, the membership in both
branches would be materially reduced,
the cry against bulky and unwieldy
legislature having undoubtedly caugh.
the ear Of the delegates.
It was stated at the time that un-
der the new plan St. Landry would
lose one of its representatives and
that the present senatorial district,
composed of St. Landry, Acadia and
Evangehne, would be broken up and
the new district would be composed
of st. Landry and Acadia, Evangeline
having been tackled on to Avoyelles.
The ST. Landry-Acadia district, in
stead of having two senators, as now
would be reduced to one.
About the time everything along
this line had quieted down and the pub
lie had become reconciled to the fact
that we should lose one representative
and one senator, the malcontents in
the convention, not satisfied with the
status, got busy and stirred up things
again.
Now, according to Baton Rouge dis
patches under Fridays date, there IS
prospect that the whole matter will
be re-opened and the new plan pro-
posed would give St. Landry its three
representatives, as now, and the
Acadia4St. Landry district two SEN
etors. The increase would also apply
t oseveral other parishes and districts
but not to the state at large, and this
seeming discrimination has stirred up
hornets nest and there are strong
prospects that something will be do
ing if an ordinance along these lines
is fayorably reported to the conven-
tion. It is understood that the dele
gates from other parishes not favor
ed under this plan are getting busy
and intend to fight the passage OF
such an ordinance on the floor Of the
convention.
The basis of apportionment, here
tofore understood as thirty thousand
population or a fraction thereof for
one representative, has been reduced
to twenty thousand. and if this goes
through st. Landry is certain to re-
tain its three representatives in the
lower house for the population is
estimated at over fifty thousand.
Acadia has about forty thousand and
the two parishes composing this SEN
atorfal district would have nearly one
| hundred thousand people and clearly
entitled to two senators, thus allow
ing each parish to elect one senator
without running the risk Of precipitat
ing political wrangle each four years
as to which parish was entitled to the
one senator allowed under the first
apportionment program.
Objection is made to the new plan
because some of the populous parish
es Of south Louisiana have been reduc-
ed in representation and not accord
ed what they consider their just rights
under the new proposition. The
smaller parishes entitled to only one
member in the lower house because
of theirmeagre population mas line
up with these one representative
parishes and spoil the whole scheme
as now proposed. In which event,
some state, it is possible that there
viii be no revision Of the apportion-
ment to go through the convention
but will be compelled to adopt the plan
now in force, changing, perhaps, the
lines of some senatorial districts but
in no manner reducing the member
ship of either house.
Delegates favoring smaller legis-
lative body are viewing the situation
with some alarm for the way things
now appear they stand strong
chance of seeing their pet scheme
blown to beyond rehabilitation, in
which event the cry of too unwieldy
a legislature will go answered and un-
solved and the state will face the pos
sibility in the future, if the population
grows rapidly and the appOrtionment
ratio of twenty thousand maintains
OF having a still more unwieldy legis-
Iature to contend with, for delegates
are not going to sit by and see every
thing put over them which would de-
prive their parishes of senatorial dis.
tricts of representatives and senators
for the benefit of few favored sub
divisions.