Year: 1873

.


One of the subjects for legislation this
session will be to make new apportion.
ment for Senators ana Assemblymen,
for the next general election. This should
have been done at the session two years
ago, but through some fllibustering on
the part of the mountain counties, whose
legislative delegations were greatly di-
minished by the bill under Consideration,
action upon the subject was defeated
1t is not probable, no wever, that the SUBJ
ject can be STAYED off again this winter,
and undoubtedly united effort will be
made by the counties which are to gain
Increased representation by the change, to
Lave the bill for a new apportionment
passed at an early day.


Since the last apportionment, in 1862,
the mountain counties have lost greatly
in population, while that of the State at
large was greatly increased. But no por-
ton of the State has gained population in
proportion to the city of San Francisco,
where the floating population Of the Pa
ciEc Coast seems to have centered. By
the census of 1870, upon which the new
apportionment will have to be made, San
Francisco has more than one-fourth the
entire population of the State, and will
claim representation accordingly. We
do not propose 10 deny the justice of this
claim, but it strikes us that the election of
eleven Senators and twenty-five Assem-
blymen from one county, should not
BE- held in the same manner as now,
when the delegation is not more than half
as large. This number of legislators is
more than one-fourth of each house, and
it can be seen at a glance that if that num-
Der are chosen solid for any party, or in
the interest of any one measure, it will
give to that party or interest a preponder-
ating influence in the legislative councils
not easily to be overcome. In plain words,
a united delegation from San Francisco
can shape the legislation of the entire
State. Sparsely-settled districts with a
variety of interests would be almost un-
represented, while the body of the legis-
lature would be chosen from within the
Limits Of one small though populous
county.


1t shows an unhealthy condition of af-
fairs, when one-fourth the population and
one-half the wealth Of Il State are center
ed in its chief city (; especially when the
city has no great manufacturing indus.
tries to furnish employment to its large
population. All these people must make
their living off the interior, and the only
way in which it can be done is to create
and foster branches of business that could
as we'll be dispersed with. The legti-
mate commerce Of community does not
require the services of too many classes
of middlemcn to intervene between pro-
ducer and consumer. When, however,
these classes of middlemen have been
created, their influence becomes more
marked in political bodies than does that
of legitimate industries. And they will
not be lacking in legislative representa-
ton to uphold their calling.


These things the interior must guard
against, and one way to do tits to compel
San Francisco to send good men to the
legislature. But if she is allowed to Sc
lect the large delegation to which she will
be entitled by general ticket that object
cannot be accomplished. Log-rolline
and bargaining will be practioed in the
party conventions, and men desirous OF
serving their own interests rather than
those of the State, be foisted upon the
people. The change in representation
renders necessary a change in the mode
Of election.


In New York, and in other States,
where there are large cities, the plan fol-
lowed is to elect Senators and Assembly
men by the district system. That is, but
one Senator, or one Assemblyman is cho-
sen by one body of electors. In our case
the State would be divided into forty
Senatorial and eighty Assembly districts,
and each district choose one Senator, OF
Assembyman as the case might be. I'm
der this plan it seems to us that the party
conventions in each district would nom
mate their best men, elections would turn
on questions of general interest, and leg
islation be better than if controlled by a
body Of men of one political faith, or cho-
sen to act together in the furtherance of
some local desire. The general run of
San Francisco delegations in the past
have been poor timber when compared
compared with an equal number of Sen
ators and representatives selected at ran
dom from the country delegations, and
we think the explanation for it can be
found in the fact that so many are elect
ed together.


s-s-@-..--------s==-s