Putnam patriot., 1925-10-23

there is an impression that Mir. Brain ard has the first call on 1t. MT. Wad- hams Uill have plenty to do as head of the new commission on state de partments and institutions. His nom ination for lieutenant governor will come in 1928 when the chances for the election of the Republican ticket will be better than they will be next year. The dominant party has always an advantage in a presidential year.
 Redi,trietins the State
 It is expected that at the next ses- sion of the general assembly in 1927 the first steps will be taken to change the state constitution SO as Co provide for an increase in the membership of the senate in order to meet the neees- sity of redistricting the state at the session following the next deeennial census. Under the constitution, as it stands at the present time, the mem bership of the senate is limited to thirty-six. The membership Is now thirty-five IL will be thus seen that the state has but one senatorship to meet the increase which q redistrici- ing will demand. The disparity in the population of senatorial districts will be recognized by the fact that the number ranges from the twenty seventh. made up of Stamford and Greenwich. and which has a popula- tion of 62, ,l30. to 21 1920 in the thirty fourth made up of towns in the lower part of Middlesex county. That dis parity represents the figures of the census of 1920. The disparity will be made more glaring by the census figures of 1880.
 The constitution restricts the mak- ing of change in the senatorial dis tricts to the session of the legisla- ture immediately following the taking of the census. Ii takes two sessions to get an amendment to the eonsti- tuition before the people for final action and that fact will show the desirability of the legislature taking the first step at the session of 1927 If the constitution is not changed before the session of 1881 action to increase the membership of the senate cannot be taken for ten years or un- til the census of 1910 is taken The last time the senate redistricted was at the session of 1908 when the mum ber of districts Was increased from twenty four ln thrte five There was T delay in Washington in reporting thc result Of the census for this state in 1920 and thi delay made f impos- sihie for the senate of che session of l901 to take action
 Constitutianal Difficulties
 Owing to the requirements of the state constitution that senatorial dis triets must b. made up of eontiguous territory if is difficult to equalize the representation of the districts in the senate That difficulty encountered the legislature in 1903 and to meet it the legislators were obliged to put Stamford and Greenwich in the same district l. may stand in the way of giving Stamford q senator st the next redistricting If it Is foreseen. by eli minating from the constitution the provision relating to continuous ter ritory Stamford would be pleased There is only one district. the thirty fifth which is coterminous with a county The county is Holland the smallest county in the state and which has thirteen towns Al one time in the history of the state the senators were elected on one ballot When Governor Baldwin was chief execu- tive he favored a return to the old system of electing senators on sim gle ballot He made an effort to Se- cure the sympathetic interest in the plan of some of the men prominent in the legislative affairs of the state. But he failed. The objection to it was that II would not secure rep- resertation If the people of the state in the senate chamber l. encounter ed the opposition of those who favor ed the short ballot and most of these were Democrats Governor Baldwin was a Democrat He was tho first Democrat "a be elected governor in ei"hteen years His party was grate- ful Co him for leading them out of the wilderness If defeat but not so erate- ful as to weld their opinions Co his simply because he was their party's Moses
 A State Office Building
 The statement of State Comntroller Salmon that it would be useless ex- nenditure of the states money to erect new office building at the pres eHt time and that the pressure on the space of the capitol would be amply relieved hv the erection of an office building for the motor vehicle de- partment has attracted considerable attention. Motor Vehicle Commis- sionr Soeekel Is in entire accord with the comptroller Mir Salmon says that an expenditure of $500 or sio0. 900 would make ample provision for the official business of the state for the next ten or fifteen years The motor vehicle department occupies l thirty per cent of the floor space of i the capitol IL has become absolutely necessary for the motor vehicle de. i partment Co have building of it's own and if the committee on appropria- tions had turned a sympathetic ear | to the bill presented by Commissioner Stoeckcl for s5O00 at the last ses- sion. the motor vehicle department would be satisfactorily housed and the space which t now occupies in the capitol occupied by other depart ments. The fact should not be forgot i ten that the funded debt of the state | is over SIG. .00O GOO IL is true that the sinking fund. amounting to Sf2.- 900 900 will. with it's earnings. be able . A L L f A.