The Omaha guide., 1956-09-21
Why Towns Like Yours Will Win
The Election
By Bart Mcdowell

By Bart Mcdowell
The big cities bowling
and the farms altogether political punch
They claim that November single ballot be worth
hundreds for legislator They charge unfair
swinde and they demand reapporionment Almost
where today the big city out to whit your political power
Well just how much political punch do you pack?
TOWN JOURNAL finds it's decisive With help
Management group we've just measured
your power Congressional districts the states We
wanted to know how live and communities
$4,000 population or less-using the best 1856 estimates
Working from the and Sales Management data
JOURNAL the first to bring these facts The figures proved
this
You people the Countryside
voting majority in AZ states.
Only states-calornia Connecticut Illinois Massachu
Islsnd-do big city voters dominate
elections This that through their sheer weight of numbers
ss seats in the Senate at Washington. That's s7eS
Congressional districts
800 of the US. House of Representatives
And that's only part of your Congressional weight
Nearly all of the powerful chamen of the committees Cap
hail from the influence
with the influence. chairmen get posts
through seniortand Countryside inclined reeIect
and You elected s of the s Senate committee chamen
and Is of the 20 House committee chairmen.
is this all political punch You claim $40 III
TOWN JOURNALS survey 1906 legislators
1858 from places of $4,000 population
these have clear majority of both houses They also control
Nebraka onehouse legislature and split other states
That leaves only three states New York Illinois and Massachusetts,
No wonder the big city folks after your scalps.
live in Nevada with population of only 235noO can
vote for two Senator'S as do the people of New York who number
159690O0 The Constitution this right to help Keep the
Union in balance
And live in the cotton country around Bryan, Texas for
exampeyour vote for worth than four ballots
cast booming Houston (Which has 25 IN the last six years.
This matter of determining the makeup Of the House of Repre-
senaive the legislatures After each 0year Census
adjusts the number of each states Representatives and the
legislatures draw the boundaries Trouble is the critics
they often gyp bigcity people when they do So
Here the critics try to show that the legislatures rig
ged" Actually legislatures modelled after
house based population and the other regional units like
counties or towns large city that in the
state senate run the house assembly But such facts don't
keep critics from pointing County ca where
worth Angeles Co
Then they cite parts Of the Connecticut countryside where vote
for representative in the State House may be worth 6s2 bc
ballots
isolated extreme this kind of criticism
is getting results
legislative districts In Alabama Colorado and Washington citizens
voting such proposals. Hot court this have tested
reaporonment laws Utah Florida and Illinois The Governors
of New Jersey New York and Rhode Island all calling for
pOrtiOnment in their legislatures
Department of Urban Affairs with Secretary of Cabinet rank
Just the UsDA works with farmers the Department Of @Ur
bcur would watch out for Americas and neglected
Cities Another bill would require Federal courts to order reaper
tonment Of House districts
What is the truth about the fairness unfaines Of political
power? just this:
Today million communities
than $4,000 population That's $50 Of all Americans Obviously it's
fair for these people to have working majority awmakng
system.
than $50 Of awmaEng machinery
look closely the Representatives
six since the last the population has increased by is
million around Obviously districts
unfairly represented legislators delayed
handing the biggest cities
probably won't cut the comtryde political much For
reapporoment hundreds Of middesized cities viii
still be islands in the middle of Countryside districts outnumbered
by and farm
Spokane Wash for example, has s5Oo0 cizenbut 2048O0
people farms and in smaller communities congesson
al district boundary lines fair the total population
ideal Spokane resident ounumbered and be
So are the people Mobile Ala, Savannah Ca; Phoenix Az
Sacramento caif Kansas City Kan In all, 49 cities
more than population and 33 other cities
are swallowed the smaller communities farm
them people islanders to speak the Countryside
represent 12es Of us. population.
Even Congressional district dominated
or communities Of line with average metropo
tan tnter Experts say mathemacay ideal district would