The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1942-12-31
Grange Backing Measure to
Reapportion Legislators Of State

counties" in legislative represeneta-
ton, the Washington State Grange
this week announced an intensive
drive to secure at least $4,000 valid
signatures of voters on its reappor-
tionment Initiative No. IL. j.. /. 81
The Grange initiative would set
up a new system of legislative dis
tricts within the state, first allocat-
ing at least one representative dis
trict to each county, then dividing
the remaining representative dis
tricts among all of the counties
on a population basis.
This is in contrast to the present
apportionment which allocates both
House and Senate districts pre-
sumably on a population basis.
Ira E. Shea, state Grange lectur-
er, in charge Of the signature cam
paign, explained that the state con-
stitution requires the legislature to
reapportion the state after each
census.
"This has not been DONE" he said,
"since 1881 and the state Grange
has taken the in tiative to see that
the legislature acts"
Shea charged that "the present
apportionment is grossly unfair for
several reasons. First, in several
cases it gives only one or two rep
resentatives to three or four coun-
ties and some counties, such as
Ferry, have rarely been able to mus
ter enough votes to~elect one Of
their own residents. Second, where
several counties are included in the
same representative district, can
didate for the legislature must CAM
paign over very large territory
$50 miles long in the case of Benton,
Franklin, Kickitat and Skamania
counties-and this makes it ex-
tremely difficult for a poor man
to campaign for election. Third,
many city and rural areas are
joined in the same representative
districts, so that rural residents are
seldom able to elect House men,
bers who understand their problems.
Fourth, 1t ignores the fact of noun
tain ranges, rivers, and other nat
ural barriers in, setting up repre-
sentative districts.
"The Grange initiative corrects
these faults, principally by. giving
each county at least one representa-
tive district, by separating city and
rural areas insofar as possible, and
by making district boundaries con-
form to natural barriers.
s"The Constitution limits the
House membership to 80. After al
locating 80 representatives to the
80 counties, we divided the remain
ing go House seats to all Of the
counties on the basis of the 1910
federal census figures Of popula-
ton" ~
Shea admitted that Pierce, Spo-
kane and Lewis counties would lose
one or two representatives Under
this method, but added,
eft would not have been possible
to give these counties the same
number of representative district;
without depriving other counties OF
their rightful share. - :
TN no case does Initiative No. II
/ discriminate against county. Rur-
al agencies adjacent to the larger
cities will in practically all cases
gain representation because OF the
separation of urban and rural Sec
lions. Senatorial districts will o,
course be set up strictly on popu-
Iation basis"
If the Grange succeeds in secur-
ing $4,000 valid signatures on Initia-
tie No. IL, the legislature will be
constitutionauy required either te
/ enact the measure into law without
amendment or referred to the voters
ct the next general election.