12
Fridav. February 10, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Here we go again: reapportionment to start
by John P. Milburn Kansan staff writer
Despite opposition, legislative committees have begun efforts to reapportion Kansas House and Senate districts.
State Sen. Ben Vidricksen, R-Salina, said the Senate would begin the reapportionment process next week.
Attorney General Bob Stephan's office was asked whether Senate districts should be redrawn this legislative session. Vidricken said that he received word from Stephan that the process should begin because of the situation with the State School Board election in 1990.
Leaders of several communities and counties in the state, including Lawrence and Douglas County, are required to use the Legislature to redraw
the districts.
Chris McKenzie, Douglas County administrator, said several cities, including Lawrence, Pittsburg and Kansas City, Kan., have lawsuit against the House and Senate bureau that districts using state census figures.
The plaintiffs, which include legislators from Douglas County, said that to redraw the districts with the data of the census conducted by the secretary of state's office would be unfair to the citizens.
Communities statewide have tried to inform the Legislature of their opposition to the reapportionment by passing resolutions.
Vidricksen said that he would ignore the legal action taken by the communities and would proceed with plans to redraw the districts.
The United States Constitution
requires states to reapportion legislative districts every 10 years, he said. Kansas' last reapportionment was in 1979.
Vidricksen said that he did not have problems with the figures provided by the state census.
State Rep. Betty Jo Charlton, Lawrence, said that she realized the possibility of reapportionment lawsuits when she served on a committee two years ago. The committee argued that the state department to the Kansas Constitution and the statute requiring the 1988 state census.
Charlton said she encouraged community governments to file suit because of the counting method use in the census. However, there was not enough interest until the beginning of the legislative session.
State figures for Douglas County
differ from federal figures by more than 16,000 people because the state counted people only in their permanent places of residence.
Students, military personnel and residents of nursing homes, counted in their present homes by the federal census, were counted in their original cities and states, no matter where they live now, by the state census.
"If we get the job done in 90 days, the reapportionment will not be affected," she said. "If the suits are successful they would nullify the work done and require a special session to redraw."
Charlton said she had been trying for more than a month to draw maps that would maintain $3\frac{1}{2}$ seats for Douglas County. Because of the unrealistic census figures, she said it would be difficult for Douglas
county to retain its current representation.
Douglas County could lose one seat in the House if the districts were redrawn from Kansas census figures.
State Rep. Vincent K. Snowbarger, chairman of the House reapportionment committee, said that while the state numbers were different from federal results, the committee had little choice but to do its task.
"I have no problem with the census," Snowbarger said. "We knew the numbers would be different simply because the method of counting was different."
He said that rural areas stood to lose four seats in the House. Specifically, Johnson County could gain four or five seats and Sedgwick County could gain two seats. Shawnee and
Wyndone could lose one seat each. Snowbrower sai maps of the new districts would be completed in two to three months, presented to the House for approval.
Senate work on redrawing the districts will begin when the committee meets next week. Vidricksen said he wanted to be as fair as possible and would try to redraw the districts so that the state would be accurately represented.
"There will be a certain amount of partisanship, but you will always have objection from the opposite party," he said.
Vidricksen said there would be drastic changes in the districts after the committee was finished. Some state districts now are 100 percent larger than the desired average of 57,000.
KC minister reminds us to remember King's dream
Speech is part of monthlong celebration
by Cynthia L. Smith Kansan staff writer
Wallace Hartfield said he briefly doubted the importance of education that day.
He looked down at his homework, which was covered with red ink, and then walked outside. It was 1953.
The Rev. Wallace Hartsfield
Then he looked up. A white man sat under a shady ashy tree drinking a Coca-Cola while three black men sweated as they worked on the road.
"And their bodies were shaking over the motors." he said. "And I bend my mother's voice saying 'Jahjah' and I remembered the dream."
His mother gained strength through her oppression and dreamed
about him learning about their family's history and black history, he said.
"She said to me, 'Boy, it can begin with me. There were many before you. You may not be able to trace your family back to the Mayflower,
but you can start with me, a slave,' ' he said.
Hartside rewrote the paper and later became the first member of his family to graduate from college.
The Rev. Hartford, minister of the Metropolitan Ministry Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., spoke at the Kansas Union Auditorium at the Kansas Union.
The speech was co-sponsored by the office of minority affairs and twelve other campus organizations to celebrate Black History Month and the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
electric Lockett, Fredonia freshman, said he was disappointed because only 30 people heard Hartsfield speak.
"I don't think they (people at KU) are concerned enough," Lockett said. "I think they need to wake up and see how the world really is."
heartfarts gripped the lecturn as he discussed "The Kingian Dream: Disturbing, Destabilizing and Dismantling."
Hartsfield said he was not a close friend of King but had met him.
"Of course hindsight is always 20,
but I had no idea." Hartfield said.
"No one had any idea that we
could see the presence in the presence
of greatness."
He said black history was important because historians were usually white males who excluded the contributions of women and minorities.
"The history-makers are not necessarily those people of military conquest or those who shout great edicts from great thrones," he said. "Thus, people of my hue would have to be included in American history."
U. S. citizens do not want to accept slavery as a part of their history, he said.
Hartfield once dined with a banker and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The banker suggested that black men should be denied if they pooped, discussing slavery.
Jackson asked the man if he would
omit events like the Boston Tea Party or the Civil War from history.
"That's (slavery) a part of history that needs to be told and it doesn't need to be creamed over," Hartfield said. "If we fail to tell the dream to one generation and then fail to tell it to another, the dream will die."
"Even in 1989, when you young people here at KU begin to dream about a time when KU can become a state university," it is disturbing. "Hartsfield said.
King's dream challenged segregation in the south and disturbed the system, Hartfield said.
He said when society's systems were questioned, they lost their stability.
"The system does not like to acknowledge that it brings about pain and, therefore, is oppressing." he said.
Hartfishe said integration was a part of King's dream that he supported, but it hurt black people who were absorbed into a predominantly
white society
"We teach our children to massage the system instead of changing it," he said. "If you can talk over the phone and not let it be known that you are an African-American, you can nurse them. As long as they don't see you."
King dreamed of an integrated society that did not damage the cultural identity, political influence and wealth of black people. Hartzfield said.
He said the dream helped fight segregation and discrimination.
"And those who bring the walls down must realize it's dangerous." Hartscissard said. "Oppressive walls are expensive to build. Educational walls are expensive to build. Social barriers are expensive to build. But the dream of King will bring walls down. It tears them down."
Kim Taylor, Manhattan freshmen,
said Hartfield's speech caused her
to re-evaluate the role of white people
in minority issues.
Entertainment This Weekend
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Singing Telegrams
Choose from an array of zany characters to deliver your message in song...
anywhere, anytime.
749-4341
A division of Balloons-N-More
Cinema Twin 31st & Iowa
842-6400
DIRTY ROTTEN
SCUBDRELLS (PG) 7.15, 9.25
WITHOUT A CLUE (PG) 7:10
MARRIED TO THE MOB (R) 9:20
9th & Iowa
Hillcrest Shopping Center
MF 11 a.m. 5 p.m.
Tue 5 a.m. 10 p.m.
Sun Mon 9 p.m. 9 p.m.
841-7226
Take your sweetheart to intimate dinner at Fifi's.
MISSISIPPI
BURNING
FRL '(4:35)-7-05-94-
SAT/SUN '(2:05)
3 FUGITIVES PG-13
DOLBY
FRI. (4:50)-7:20-9:20
SAT/SUN (²:20)
BEACHES PG-13
DOLBY
FRI ('4:30)-7:00-9:35
SAT/SUN ('2:00)
THE FLY II
DOLBY
FRI. (1:4:45) 7-15:9-25
SAT/SUN (2:15)
DANGEROUS
LAIISONS R*
DOLBY
FRI. ('4:40)-7:10-9:45
SAT/SUN 2:10
Dickinson 23rd & IOWA 841-8600
Dickinson
9250 PRIME TIMES SHOW | SR. CIT. ANYTIM
WHO'S
HARRY CRUMB? PG-13
FRI. (4:55) 7:05-9:05
SAT/SUN (2:25)
Besides its Large Screen TV, Billiards Pro Shop.
Bar Area, and numerous Billiard Tables...
The Pool Room is now offering food from PJ'S DELI & GRILL
925 Iowa - 749-5039
Behind Hillcrest Shopping Center
Lawrence's Best Pool Hall & Bar Is Even Better...
Feb. 9 & 10
$1.50 3.30 matimes
$2.50 7.00 & 9 p.m. in
Woodruff-Kansas Union
Friday & Saturday Feb. 9 & 10
THE IDIOT
Sunday
Feb. 12
l.p.m. $1.50 with KUID
Workoff with KUUM
Tuesday
Feb. 14
3,30 & 8 p.m.
$1,50 with KUID
Alderson Auditorium
...