Show t tI I if sv Wash Washinton n on J t BEEHIVE t. t b by BeH Forgey o e WASHINGTON DC D.C. All four lour members of Utah's le leg legg legislative delegation here will support an amendment proposal pro pro- l osal to counteract the Supreme Supreme Su preme Courts Court's one man manone one Vote rule for state legisla tures But nut they embrace the proposal pro with varying ing degree of warmth In the Senate Republican Wallace Bennett Dennett is a tor cor of a resolution introduced by Senate Minority Leader Everett Derkson of Illinois This proposal would allow states with bicameral legislatures legislatures legis legis- I to apportion one house on In factors other than population lation Democratic Senator Frank Moss said in an interview last week that he would support the amendment should it reach the Senate floor In the House of Representatives Representatives Representatives Utah Congressmen DavId David Da Da- David vid King Democrat of the second district and Laurence Burton Republican of the first district Jointly Introduced ed cd a proposal similar to Dirk Dirk- sons rons They joined 66 other representatives who have submitted submitted sub sub- amendment proposals In both houses fights ate are shaping up Ip over the amendment amendment amend amend- ment but isit In neither are pro pro- for tor Its success anymore any anymore anymore more than marginal A combination of time and political circumstance appears to o be against the amendments amendment's supporters The amendment process isone is isone isone one of 01 two related steps First Firsta a proposed amendment must be adopted by two thirds of members present in both houses of Congress This is a formidable ab- ab stacle stacIe to an amendment so charged with conflict And opponents of the amendment most of them from urban anc and suburban areas seem to hold hole the he upper hand in Congress this year The second step In the amendment amendment amendment am am- process Is Its ratification ratification cation by three fourths of the states either by the state II legislatures or by constitutional conventions 1 in the states Some amendments have been ratified in a period as short as one year Most have hav e taken three or four years I As a solution to a crisis as immediate as this one this process Is It consumes consumes con con- consumes too much time In a situation where time Is of th the e essence It Is apparent that tha t as more legislatures reapportion lion tion themselves or are reapportioned reapportIoned reap reap- portioned by federal courts the less support there will be for this particular amend amend- ment But supporters of the amendment amendment am am- are determined t to tomake tomake o make a fight of It it In Congress Congress Con Con- gress press the tight fight is creating strange coalitions on bot both h sides coalitions crossing party par par- ty and sectional lines Liberal supporters of th the e amendment In particular in find d themselves themselves' in a dlf difficult cult position position pos pos- lion because support seems seem s to lend credibility to the vItriolIc vi vI- vI attacks made on th the e Supreme Court in to recent years ears by the extreme right wing Thus the liberals Very carefully carefully care care- fully articulate the basis for their support Senator Moss for example said he sees nothing sinister or wrong in the Supreme Court ruling and that generally generally generally gener gener- ally he is sympathetic to equal representation by population population pop pop- its it's the essence of democracy But nut he said he supports the principle of givIng ing the people of the states the right to choose what kind of representation they want in the state Moss also said any amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment should Include a mandatory mandatory mandatory manda manda- tory requirement that the the- states reapportion periodically periodical perIodical- ly in accordance with the law pointing out that one reason why the Utah legislature finds itself in difficulties today is that it failed to make this periodical reapportionment He lie said he will consider adding add add- ing language to this effect should the amendment reach the floor I Congressman King said In Ina InI I a recent interview that he he- thought the Supreme Court I had radically departed from established law and principle pIe In basing its decision on the equal protection clause of the amendment He said that Congress In considering the clause gave no Intention whatsoever to the composition tion of state legislatures The Democratic Congressman Congress Congress- man also said he supported the amendment because although al although although al- al though rural life In America is on the defensive right now it is a 11 very vital part of our culture He said he thought that representation in one house of a legislature on a basis other than population population population tion would help to preserve these values Senator Bennett a conser conser- conservative conservative Republican has maintained maintained maintained main main- a 11 consistent position of opposition to the Supreme I Courts Court's apportionment deci deci- His position has been that the court extended Its constitutional authority far beyond Its limits Bennett was a supporter of ofa ofa a resolution sponsored by Senator DIrksen last year to stay court reapportIonment orders until Congress has timeto time timeto to submit a constitutional amendment This resolution offered as a rider on the foreign foreign for for- eign aid money bill bm held up the adjournment of the Congress until it was finally washed out without action because because be be- cause of a filibuster by a small group of liberal Demo rats I think that the canny Illinois Illi 1111 nois Hots Senator correctly assessed assessed assessed assess assess- ed the urgency o of the sItuation situation situa sItua- tion for supporters supporter of the the- amendment Time was what they needed most His rider rider- was designed to get them that essential When this proposal was defeated defeated de de- supporters of this amendment were dealt a ablow ablow ablow blow from which they probably probably ably wont won't recover |