With grim determination but heavy hearts, the All-Island Selectmen’s Association members voted Wednesday to withdraw the Island of Martha’s Vineyard from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and form the nation’s 51st state, if the General Court persists in its current plan to strip the Island of representation.
A formal invitation to join the new state will be carried to the Nantucket selectmen this weekend by Rep. Terrence P. McCarthy, Those selectmen have made no official response, but ‘t isunderstood that they also feel the extremity of the situation and are sympathetic with the secessionist movement.
If accomplished, this will be the first time in the history of our nation that a
region was so distressed as to take this desperate step. The procedure is uncharted and unclear. The selectmen have petitioned the county government for an appropriation to retain counsel to examine the course from here. It appears that action by the U.S. Congress will be required.
Incorporated in the selectmen’s decision to secede was a vow to pursueall milder alternatives. including a floor amendment to the redistricting bill shortly to. come before the House of the General Court, an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and a petition to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Counsel will assist in those actions also.
The selectmen also agreed that, if formation of a new state should be blocked by Congress, they would declare independence from the United States of America.
The Island’s growing desperation was made clear at a meeting of the selectmen and Rep. George A. Keverian, chairman of the House redistricting committee, on the Island Saturday. Nantucket and Vineyard selectmen explained our isolation, our difficulty being heard in
Boston, and our sense of remoteness from the state government which holds increasing power over our Island.
Mr. Keverian said he was sympathetic with the Islands’ plight and offered to support proposals that representatives of the district which ultimately includes the Islands be given funds to maintain a staffed office on each Island and increased travel allowance.
But he was firm in refusal of the selectmen’s request: a representative from each Island at best, and one representative from both Islands, at worst.
Rep. J. Sidney Conway of Nantucket spoke eloquently of the 200-year-old tradition of representation for the Islands: “We’ve given so much to, yet asked so little of, the Commonwealth,”’ he said.
Daniel Hull, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce here, said, ‘Simply because of our isolation we are much more dependent on representation than any other district in the state. There are many things we have to ask our representative to do which, if we weren’t an Island, we could do ourselves.’’
In quiet discussion, the selectmen and Mr. Keverian considered being joined with the towns of the outer Cape, and with Falmouth, but neither possibility solved the Islands’ needs, the selectmen concluded.
Mr. Keverian said he sympathized. Lewis G. King, selectman from Chilmark, said, ‘‘Our problem is our loneliness. We are given short shrift almost all the time. No matter how hard you try to understand, no matter how compassionate you are, you cannot understand how lonely we are.’’
“I agree,” Mr. Keverian said. “I understand your arguments, but they don’t have legal validity. I have to go by the state constitution. I came here to find out, if you are connected to a mainland district, what district you want to be connected to.”
‘‘By the state constitution, the Islands have always been assured of representation in the General Court. If they want to take that away from us, the hell with them. We’ll set up another state — we’ll beat Puerto Rico to the punch,” said Chilmark selectman Everett Poole yesterday. Mr. Poole made the motion to secede at Wednesday night’s meeting.
Mr. McCarthy, who was at that meeting, said later, “We must impress the rest of the state that we’re being disfranchised. We hope we can remain part of the Commonwealth. But if that can’t be, we’ll secede. Slowly but surely, the state is assuming the duties of the county. Now, the state is taking away our say in state government.”
Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Conway have vowed to introduce a floor amendment to the new redistricting bill when it reaches the House which would reestablish the traditional clause giving the Islands representation. The question is whether to ask for a seat for each Island, or a single seat for both. In either case, fulfilling the constitutional requirement of 160 representatives from the entire state would mean shuffling some of the districts already established.
The two legislators have already drafted another constitutional amendment which would restore the seat. Or seats: the same question returns. That amendment could become effective in 10 years when the districts are reapportioned 10 years from now, as the present constitution requires.
The third course which appears to be open to the selectmen is a petition to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, asking the court to enjoin the legislature from passing the redistricting bill now proposed, on the grounds that it violates the Islands’ right to representation. The selectmen agreed Wednesday to direct counsel to start preparations for that proceeding immediately.