The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1922-02-09
Thursday. February, 9, 1922
AN UNTENABLE PROPOSAL

Governor Hyde has been to Wash
ington for the purpose of asking
Congress to pass congressional ap
portionment act which would reduce
the representation of the state o.
Missouri in the House Of Represen
tatives from sixteen to fifteen. in Or
der that partisan plans may be carried
out and an untenable gerrymander
be perpetrated and sustained.
The Governor has asked that his
state be deprived of one Congress
man aud one presidential elector, and
that provision be made in the appor-
tionment act for comforting extraor-
binary powers upon state officials in
the matter OF redi"tricting, SO that
the terms of the Constitution OF Mis-
souri, touching the right of the people
to invoke the referendum may be
subvcr.ed.
Could any performance of the
present executive be more typical OF
a narrow minded peanut politician
such as Hyde? He cares nothing
about the states representation in
Congress, or the extent OF the state
power in selecting a president OF the
United States, through the electoral
college. He cares nothing about the
right of Congress TO define, by led
eral enactment. the duties and iunc-
tons OF state officials. He sees
nothing and cares about nothing eH-
cept the 1ulilimcut OF his own petty
designs.
The last session OF the General AS
sembly passed all act dividing the
state INTO sixteen congressional DIS
tricts upon partisan lines of the
most extreme character, insurng the
election of ten or eleven Republicans
for all time, regardless OF the poht-
ical situation in the state. The DEM
ocrats OF the state desire to suspend
this law by the referendum, until the
people can have chance to vote up
on 1t, and to express their approval
or disapproval, having due regard for
the pledges of the Republican party
in 1920, and Governor Hyde, in his
inaugural, to bring about "a fair re-
districting upon a population, and not
a partisan basis. The mere suggcs
ton that the people of the state avail
themselves of the constitutional priv
ileg" gwen them arouses the childish
petulancc and binding wrath of the
would-be dcApot who now disgraccs
the Chief Magistracy OF Missouri. |
He iroths at the mouth, when lie OBJ
serves his rlaus gong awry, and he
would be per ectIv willing TO give No |
part OF our representation in Con- |
grcss, II thereby his surl,d purposes |
might be served.
Ordinarily it would be presumed |
that the business OF the Governor
would be to oppose the suggestion OF
gress, instead OF going TO the nation
al capital and pleading with Senators,
@ncn. and even the President
himself for law which would en-
force a loss upon the state. He
should be fighting the plan proposed.
The caliber OF this parsonage is thus
clearly indicated. He is the first and
last of his kind. the smallest Of small
bore statesmen.
Then take that proposition involv-
ing the delegation OF Legislative au-
thority to state of ,icials to redistrlct
the state, congressionally, following
the passage, of the apportionment
act: Why the necessity of any such
a law? The legislature can be con-
vened upon short notice and can pass
. bill within ten days time. Why
rive the authority in question to
these state officera There can be
but one reason, and that is that the
Governor desires the privilege of in
flicting upon the state. under the re-
duccd representation. partisan ger
in such a way as to tore
stall the referendum.-Miss State
Journal.