Year: 1859

A bin 10 divide the State into two Congress
ionrl districts, was ordered TO be engrossed for
a third reading, in the Senate, last Friday, by
a vote of 10 to Is, and will without doubt be
adopted by that branch of the Legislature.
The vote indicates that a majority Of the Sena-
tors are in favor of districting the State, but it
seems there is some differance of opinion as to
whether the State is properly divided by the
bill, and It may possibly be defeated on this
ground.


We have pot seen a copy of the bill, and
know nothing as to the manner in which the
State is divided but if anything like fairness
is observed in regard to the population of the
two districts. we trust the bill will pass and be-
come law. The only means by which the
population of the State can be estimated, is by
the vote of the several counties at the lest two
or three general elections, and if the State is
divided from east to west, making northern
and southern district, the mining, agricultur-
al. and commercial interests will be about
equally represented in each, aud it is reasona-
BILE to presume that the vote will be fair cri-
terion upon which to estimate the population.


The question of districting the State has nev-
er been made an issue in the elections, although
the people are almost unanimously in favor o.
the measure The party conventions. too, have
invariably recognised the correctness OF the
district system, in nomination candidates for
Congress, by taking one from the northern and
the other from the southern section of the State.
Practically the conventions have districted the
State, as far was in their power, and no good
reason can be given why the people of each
district should not have the privilege Of voting
for their Congressional candidates separately,
instead of voting for them on general State
ticket as at present. If the State is districted,
the candidates for Congress will be nominated
in district conventions, held expressly for that
purpose. Heretofore, they have been nomina-
ted at State conventions, by delegates elected
in many cases, for other purposes, thus afford
ing wide field for political trickery and wire
pulling.


After the next census, California will un
doubtedly be entitled to FIVE Representatives
the State can then be divided in such manleI
as to represent the various industrial and com
mercal interests. Such an arrangement would
suit the people, and at the same time be advan
tagous to the interests of the State. If the
State is once districted, the people will like il
so much better than the present plan, that the
system will never be changed, and for that rea.
son we hope it will be done during the present
session of the Legislature. An act was passed
by Congress, in 1842, requiring the several
States to be districted. The States of Mississippi
and Missouri at first disregarded this act the
seats of the Representatives from those States
were contested on that account, and had not
their party friends been in a majority they
would have been sent back to the people. Thus
far the Representatives from California have
had no difficulty in obtaining their seats, on
account of the act Of Congress not having been
complied with. but they are liable to lose them
at any time and will pretty certainly be sent
home il their political friends happen to be in
a minority in the House, unless the State is
distrcted.