Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-01
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN

WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 25.-
The rural population of the coun-
try, more particularly the farmers,
may complain that they are OPP
pressed economically by the cities
and large industrial centers, but in
many states they have a startling
political advantage over the urban
folks. They are buttressed in this
advantage by constitutional provi-
sions and laws that are admittedly
unjust and antiquated, but that it
has never been possible to change.
Thanks to apportionments and
bases of representation that are al
together one-sided, many state leg
islatures are controlled by minority
fractions of the populations and
voting strengths of those states. 1t
is a case of the tail wagging the
dog, and of the dogs being unable
! to catch his tail, no matter how
| hard he chases it.
| In these. states, representation in
the legislative body was fixed arbi
trarily without consideration for the
possible subsequent growth of the
cities and towns, and the rural pop
surrender this advantage. A hun
bred years or SO ago it was said
| that England had q borough, Old
| nor a single inhabitant, and yet was
represented in parliament by two
members. There's nothing to paral-
lei that in the United States, but
there are situations that invite COM
parison.
Attention was called to this mat
ter by the spectacular upheaval in
the Rhode Island legislature. This
state, with a population slightly in
excess of 100000, is overwhelmingly
urban in character. 1t has only
4,083 farms, and the rural popula-
ton is but 2.5 per cent of the total,
and yet the farming communities
virtually control the state.
| The constitution adopted in 1912
provides that each city and town in
the state, regardless of size, shall
have one member of the state SEN
ate, and one only. Thus, Provi-
dence, with almost a quarter of a
million of inhabitants, and Paw
tucket, Woonsocket and other indus
trial centers, can be outvoted and
dominated completely by, a combina-
ton of villages and fishing hamlets,
many of which have populations I'M
der 1000. West Greenwich, for in
stance, boasts but 367 inhabitants.
but the senator from that town can
offset the vote of the senator from
Providence, who has a constituency
almost 700 times as large.
In New Jersey, the state consti-
tuition DEGREES that each county
shall have one and only one state
senator, and apparently that decree
is to stand for all time, for the small
counties have defeated all efforts to
amend the organic law. There are
81 counties, and of these, nine have
IS4.5 per cent of the states total
population, but are accorded a rep
resentation of less than 43 per cent
in the state senate. Two counties,
Essex and Hudson, have approx
mately 40 per cent of the states
population, but they have less than
10 per cent of the senate. These
residents, respectively, are balanced
by Cape May and Sussex, with 49,
400 and 24,905, respectively.
Crossing over into Pennsylvania.
it is found that 20 per cent of that
state is urban, and yet the lower
branch of the legislature is largely
dominated by the rural element.
Each county has one member, re.
CARELESS of it's population, by which
it is possible for the five smallest
counties, with less than one-half of
one per cent of the people of the
state, to cast "a per cent of the vote
in the house of representatives,
while % counties, with 81 per cent
of the population, have 1875 per
cent of the strength of the house.