Year: 1875

We have had occasion while commenting
on the work of the Constitutional Commis-
sion to call attention to that very unrepubll-
can and illogical provision which, somehow
or other, got into our present constitution,
restricting the representation in the legisla-
ture of the people who are so unfortunate as.
to live in sufficiently close cOntiguity to
each other to make up city. Under sec
ton of article of the constitution the ra-
ito of representation tor cities is largely
increased, operating to the great disadvan-
tage of populous towns. Thus the 151 rep
resentatves divided among the 626,915 in
habitants of Maine would give one for
each 4170 of population and Portland
would have eight representatives in
stead of five and Bangor four instead of
three, while corresponding change would
be made in the other cities. The discrimina
ton against the representation of wealth is
still more marked. 1t is held by many po-
litical philosophers that wealth is entitled to
spe cial representation as being the source OF
governmental revenues. In Massachusetts
p,ior to 1920 the House of representatives
was elected in districts divided according to
population while the Senate was distributed
in proportion to the wealth OF the several lo-
calities. One of the finest speeches ever made
by Daniel Webster was in support OF this
theory, in the Constitutional Convention OF
1920. 1t is certainly fair, even if no favor be
shown to great revenue producing munich
pality, that no discrimination should be
made against il. Portland pays one seventh
| of the taxes Of Maine. According to wealth
her representation should be as % to Isl; ac
| cording to population 8 to ISL; while tie abb
| surd resultant arrived at under our present
| constitution is as to 151. OF course we
should not urge any change providing for the
| representation of wealth, but present the
point only as more fully illustrating the glar-
ing inequity of the present discrimination.


Still further, the legislative power thus un'
| Justly taken from the cities is not distributed
| over the rest of the state but is confined tC


the county which contains the city. A mum


ber of representatives corresponding to the
| population is assigned to each county and
divided among the towns afterwards; so that
much smaller number of inhabitants send
| a representative in county which enjoys the


luxury of city than in strictly rural coun


ty. Fifty-one years ago John Holmes sen
copy of our state constitution to ex-Presi
dent jefferson, who said he liked it all bu


the wretched ''rotten borough" abuse which


the trainers of our organic law strangel.


adopted when everybody else in this coun


try and England was trying to get rid Q
it. .n.at


The natural mind sees no good reason VIII.


ten, twenty or thirty thousand of our citl


zens living near enough together to be incor


porated into one town or city ought not {


have the same voice in the legislation an


the choice of United States Senator as al
| equal number scattered over larger are


and divided into two, four or six municipall


ties. Yet such is the rule under our presen


constitutional fact which will probably be


surprise to majority Of the people of Main


land we may look hopefully to the able re


vising commission, now in session, for re


moval of this arbitrary, unjust, illogical an
| absurd discrimination.