The Bozeman courier., 1927-12-02

-VERY once in a while the remark
is made that Montana's state
- senate, with its Sc members, is
too large body for the upper house
of the legislature. It is claimed it
would be much more efficient if its
number were reduced, and instead OF
there being one senator from each
county, we should have one senator
from every two counties; or, if that
were not satisfactory, to redistrict the
state in senatorial districts on the
basis of population.
The question Of senatorial repreSenS;a-
+ion was one of the most primarily oS
hated questions before the consul lCuCIOIlt.l @ q. |
convention which was heId III riSteilSe 15a,a
1890 At this convention were % ueLe |
Gates representing the 10 counJleS thCo
which Montana territory was olVloeu a. !
the time The counties and the nuinDer
of delegates from each were Sl1NeI DOo o.
y; Lewis and Clark, IL Z, Geet cnsteT TG9ge' 3:
Chouteau. g. Madison, 3; GalIaIlh, D
Saecade 3: PARK. 8; Beaverhead, 3; Fer
gus. 8: Meagher, 8; Yellowstone 4 anu
Dawson l.
The. convention was opened on July
and adjourned on August II. Inc con-
s+it,,tjon CT which was written and ap-
nroved by the delegates during ChaC IlIile,
was ratified by the voters at sPecIdl
election on October l. On November o.
President Harrison issued proclarnaCIO1
admitting Montana into the union as a
sovereign state. 49,,
The first debate on the floor OF the
convention over senatorial apportlonmenC
came on Friday afternoon, Aug. z. FTI0I FT
To that time there had been considerable
slxirnoishing in the committee on appor-
hit 10
senator-f for -each-cOunty scheme had peeh
eTIccessful in getting their views 1ncor-
porated in the committees report. Wneh
the section came up for passage IN Che
convention, John G. Robinson, a lawyer
from Deer Lodge county, moved II De
amended to increase the number OF SEN
ators from 16 lone from each county, TO
81.
TOOIe's Effort at Compromise
Immediately, Joseph K. Toole, who was
later to become the first governor OF Cne
state, moved to amend Mr.. Robinson
amendment so that the section would
read there shall be at least one senator
from each county" instead OF there sna!I
be no more than one senator from each
county" Mr. TOOle's amendment was
plainly for the purpose OF compromising
the issue between those VINO WanCeo
senatorial districts based solely on popu-
Iation, which would have left some coun-
ties without a senator wholly their own,
and those who didn't want any county
to have more than one senator.
The real fight was over the proposition
that if either Of both amendments car
ried it would give the most thickly
populated counties IN the new SJaIe-
Silver Bow. Lewis and Clark, ana Deer
Lodge greater representation IN tne
senate than any other three cOunJleS.
In the last analysis. it was contest 1or
power in the upper chamber between the
'cOw counties" and the three counties
in which industry had been more 1ully
developed. And the COW counties olo
not intend that the industrial centers,
such as Butte, Helena and Deer Lodge
should win out.
The issue came to a vote in several
different ways during the three days II
was before the convention, and the most
votes that the advocates OF the election
of senators on proportional basis could
muster at any one time was 80. with Z
voting against them, and absent. IL Is
interesting to note that Lewis and CLARK
countys II representatives voted solid
for Mr.. Robinson's amendment; all but
one of Silver Bows delegation voted 1ol
it, while only six of Deer Lodge cOunty'S
nine delegates voted for it. OF all the
other counties delegates, only ONE.
GAYLORD of Whitehall Jefferson county
voted with the Lewis and Clark, Silver
Bow and Deer Lodge contingent.
Governor ToOle Though he was moi
then gOVernor) told the convention thai
he was convinced that the plan of one
senator for each county, and one only
was inherently wrong and inequitabl'
and does not meet the requirements o.
the provisions of the constitution of tht
United States which guarantees to ever!
state in this union republican form %
government"
Questioned Counties Sovereignty
'Why!" he exclaimed, 1.-The counties il
the state of Montana, whether they con
tain 200 inhabitants or 100000, are al
placed on the same and equal footing
What 7 understand to be meant by re
publican form of government is a gov
ernment where sovereignty is conf1ded t.
and Immediately exercised by the popu
lar will.
This is no temporary arrangement
We say that the first legislative assembl
shall consist of this number. If thi
provision (of one senator for each coun
ty) is put into the constitution, thi