| Show reapportionment OFTEN IGNORED A review of the apportionment of seats in many state legislatures released by 63 the associated press reveals that there are many inane qualities in the representation of tl the I 1 e people the census now underway is supposed to set the stage for fora a reapportionment of seats in the national house of representatives but congress upon occasion has been rather reluctant to readjust seats in line with the population growths and losses in ili the states it seams the situation is worse in ill the last decade according to the associated press only eighteen states have had any reapportionment delaware has h had ad none since 1897 tennessee since 1900 illinois and alabama since 1901 and house seats in connecticut have never been reapportioned we do not list all of the states but the problem appears appear acute acau in ill some states where populations have far outgrown earlier apportion apportionment tile n t in ili oregon for example there has been no reapportion reapportionment me lit since 1910 but population has increased from to there are arc complications of course in california for example the constitution prohibits any county from having more than one senator which means mean that los angeles with nearly half of tile the people of the state has one of tile the states forty senators it is pointed out that lawmakers from rural regions can call dom dominate binate many lawmaking bodies despite tile the fact that rural population is much smaller than tile urban population of the nation as a whole consequently a big shake up in the seats of a legislative body might switch legh legislative dative control from one section of a state to another or from rural to urban blocks or even to another party obviously it could have ti tremendous effect upon the t taxing axing all and spending policies of tile the state and it might put some legislators out of hu business siness we do not attempt to appraise the situation in ill any particular state but in general the working of a representative government would be improved by pi prompt ampt reapportion reapportionment men t of seats in legislative bodies according to population changes the ef effect feet of these changes is not to be considered in connection with the advisability of prompt and regular reapportion nent client in a country where the people have the right to select their representatives it is a disservice to popular self govern ment not to adjust legislative power in accordance with existing 19 laws anti and without regard to the factor of population |
