The Litchfield County Post

FOR THE COUNTY POST.

Mr. SMITH—

A writer in your last paper, in calling the attention
of the Electors to the subject of the important election
which is just at hand, has remarked in substance, that
the bill for districting the state, which is now before
the people, was so framed as to reconcile all conflicting
opinions among the real friends of districting in
the last Legislature. Since reading the article of your
correspondent, I have examined the bill attentively,
and I sincerely believe that its provisions are the wisest
that could have been devised. Indeed, I am surprised
when I think upon the difficulties of constructing
a bill upon a subject upon which so much difference
of sentiment must necessarily exist, and which
must encounter a formidable opposition from the enemies
of the measure, that a plan for districting the
state could be hit upon so free from objections, as that
which the present bill proposes.

It was to have been expected, that among the honest
friends of districting, there would have been some division
of opinion as to the manner of effecting the object.
Some would prefer that each county should
compose a district, and that the Senators should be
apportioned among them according to the population.
Others would prefer that the State should be divided
into large districts of equal population, without reference
to county lines, and that each district should be
entitled to an equal number of Senators. Others
again would propose to subdivide the counties into
small districts, and to allow each district to elect a
single Senator.

To the second mode proposed, there seems to me
to be insuperable objections. The inhabitants of each
county are so much in the habit of associating together
for a variety of purposes, and of pursuing objects of
more particular importance to themselves, that they
consider the inhabitants of another county as belonging
almost to a foreign jurisdiction. Indeed I think
the same objections may be urged against such a division
of territory, as against the existing mode of electing
by General Ticket. It seems to me that the only
feasible mode of effecting the object of procuring a
fair and equal distribution of Senators into the different
parts of the State, and of bringing to the knowledge
of the Electors the character and competency of
the candidates for their suffrages, is to make each
county a district, and to apportion the Senators according
to the population; or to divide the state into
smaller districts, to be composed of contiguous territory
in the same county. It will be seen that provision
is made in the bill for the adoption of either of these
plans, and with either of them I presume the friends
of districting will be satisfied. The great object of the
opposition at the last Legislature, was to force a bill
through the House which would cut up the state
into small districts, without reference to county lines,
or any other civil division. The effect of such a bill
would have been to defeat the measure entirely, as the
good sense of the community would revolt at such an
arbitrary and unnatural severance of all former civil
associations. As the bill now stands it will be in the
power of the Legislature to make a district of each
county, or to make several districts within each county,
as shall be deemed most proper under all circumstances.
If either method should be adopted, and
should be found inconvenient, or to operate unequally
upon the several portions of the territory of the state,
the Legislature have the power to adopt another method,
and thus to remove objections and meet the wishes
of the people. This provision is altogether to be preferred
to one which would make an arbitrary division
of the state without reference to county lines, or
any other well known civil division, and which
could not be altered, however unjust or unequal it
might prove to be, without reverting to the tardy process
of altering the constitution. I think the Electors
will give a decided preference to the bill as it now
stands.

A FRIEND TO DISTRICTING.