Speaking as one who comes from a dis-
trict with about 160,000 people, I think a
paring down of that district would be in
order, and an individual without political
or machine affiliation might be able to run.
But by the same token I suggest that there
is no panacea to smallness alone, that a
political organization's desire is to survive.
It may become easier, not more difficult, to
control single-member districts than multi-
member districts.
I suggest to you that it would be quite
easy to select those districts where power
is in jeopardy and in those districts con-
centrate efforts that all of us are aware
of. For that reason, I must say that if you
are attempting to do that which is good,
if we are attempting to do that which is
best for the people, it might/be well for us
to consider those who seek to represent
those people for whom the good is sug-
gested. For that reason I support the Ryb-
czynski amendment to the earlier amend-
ment that was offered, and ask those here
to do likewise.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate Lloyd Taylor to speak in
opposition to the amendment to the amend-
ment.
DELEGATE L. TAYLOR: I would like
to speak against the amendment for a
single delegate district. I want to speak
from my own experience, from the experi-
ence of Tennessee as indicated by the ar-
ticle, "A Lesson for Reapportionment," in
the REPORTER MAGAZINE issued September
2I, 1967.
It said: "Before Baker v. Carr, Tennes-
see legislative districts were identical to
the counties, and candidates ran county-
wide. This meant, for example, that all
the men running in Shelby County, which
includes Memphis, had to have the back-
ing of the city political machine. All the
Shelby representatives were thus city
men and tended to support programs
sponsored by the Tennessee Municipal
League in the legislature. But since rural
counties with only a small fraction of
Shelby's population, taken together, had
more representatives than urban coun-
ties, the TML proposals were usually
voted down. Today, a populous county
like Shelby has more representatives, but
these are divided among a number of
homogeneous voting units, such as the
wards of downtown Memphis and sub-
urbs like Millington and the aptly named
Whitehaven. The candidates run only in
their districts. This system has produced
the state's first post-Reconstruction Negro |
delegation — six from Memphis, Nash-
ville, and Knoxville; the first group of
representatives with strictly suburban
constituencies; and a whole new set of
white-Negro, Democratic-Republican, city-
suburban divisions within the once solid
'urban' county delegations in the legis-
lature."
I feel that the single district will be more
representative of democratic government.
In the City of Baltimore, from the second
district, where I live, there are many people
who are not properly represented by the
delegates of the House of Delegates and
the citizens of the State of Maryland.
They are not represented by their city
councilmen. For instance, I work as a
neighborhood counsel with the Anti-Poverty
Program. We established 25 Negro centers
in 25 Negro neighborhoods to put the gov-
ernment closer to the people.
We had several city councilmen who were
supposed to represent the second district,
but I saw many expenditures where the
people could not get any response from
their city councilmen. Consequently, the
Anti-Poverty Program moved in where
there (was a vacuum in the second district
or in the government of Baltimore City.
The people in these areas know about
problems, statewide problems. They know
about Negro problems. They know about
citywide problems. They know about urban
renewal, air pollution. They know about air
pollution because air pollution really af-
fects the City population more than the
rural and suburban population.
They know about the highway system, be-
cause the highways come through the City.
They know about many problems affect-
ing the State of Maryland, and therefore
they want representation; and of course, I
feel the single-member district will give
them more representation. Therefore, I am
against this amendment, and I am for the
single-member district.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in favor of the amendment
to the amendment?
Delegate White.
DELEGATE WHITE: Mr. Chairman, I
wonder if Delegate Taylor would yield to
a question. I am seeking information.
THE CHAIRMAN: Just a second.
Mr. Taylor has slightly less than one |
