[Intro — The Scholar, contralto, solo] I am the Scholar — and I bring you the data One hundred and twenty years of legislation Thirteen states, seventeen hundred district bills and more We studied who wins in this great American nation And what we found will shake you to the core For the first time ever — a systematic proof Of what cities have complained of for a century or more The data are in — and here is the truth Big cities send the largest delegations And yet their district bills fail at a shocking rate The paradox of American representation: More seats at the table — surrendered to fate [Verse 1 — The City, baritone, proud] I am the City — the engine of commerce and trade I have fifty delegates marching in line Surely the statehouse cannot evade A coalition as mighty as mine I send my district bills to the chamber floor To run my schools, to tax, to build and repair But my bills keep dying — what is this for? Why does my legislation go nowhere? [The Scholar responds] Twenty-four percent below the small town rate Thirty-four percent behind — year after year From eighteen eighty the same pattern holds: Big city bills fail — that is what the data told Small towns pass their bills by deference and trust Legislators bow to their colleagues without a fuss But for the great city that norm does not hold The bigger you grow — the less you are told yes [Verse 2 — The City, accusing] Is it hostility from the rural hinterland? Is it nativism — fear of my immigrant streets? Is it the parties? Help me understand! Tell me the reason my legislation defeats! [The Scholar, rapid-fire] Hostility — no! Partisanship — no! Racial divide — no! Bill volume — no! Malapportionment — no! Universalism rules — the majority party means nothing here! One thing does wound you — the foreign-born gap When your immigrants far outnumber the state The chamber grows distant — nativist perhaps But even that alone cannot seal your fate [Bridge — The Scholar] Small towns are trusted — their bills pass by deference Legislators bow to their colleagues' local word But divide your delegation and that deference vanishes A fractured city's voice goes unheard Look at your delegation Look at what I see The problem is not out there The problem is in thee [Verse 3 — The Delegates, dueling, soprano and tenor] I am Delegate A — and I want the bill passed my way! I am Delegate B — but not the way she says! My neighborhood needs this — east side speaks! My neighborhood needs this — west side leads! We cannot agree, we cannot agree The bill is ours but divided are we! The chamber is watching — they see us divide They follow our fracture and vote to deny [Verse 4 — The Scholar, revelation] One delegate speaking — eighty percent will pass Two delegates — and it drops to sixty-four percent Three delegates — now it is fifty-three percent And bigger the delegation — lower the score The chamber follows voting cues — and when your cues divide The correlation is fifty-eight percent — chamber-wide Every legislator watches and mirrors the split More seats did not save you — more seats were the knife No strength in numbers — that is the paradigm [Verse 5 — The Scholar, the cities named] Omaha had seven delegates — sixty-six percent passage rate The courts gave them thirteen seats — and it dropped to zero percent Birmingham passed seven of eight — before the mandate Then zero of thirteen — reapportionment made them repent Houston gained seats — their passage rate fell to eleven percent Chicago sent sixty-nine delegates to the floor And lost more bills than they had ever lost before The apportionment revolution finally came And every city that gained more seats — lost the game [The City, broken] You mean when we finally won one person one vote When the courts gave us seats — we thought we were freed— [The Scholar] More delegates — more division — more chances to swerve More fracture — more defeat — that is the decree Increasing representation proved to be no solution A city that cannot unite — can never be free [Final Chorus — All voices, fortissimo] Unite before the vote! Unite before the floor! Deference dies when delegations go to war! Build the coalition — broker it before you split A city united is a city that can benefit! No strength in numbers — unless the numbers agree! No strength in numbers — unless you speak as one! [Outro — The Scholar, fading, the hammer] Broker your compromise before you reach the floor Speak with a single voice before the chamber sees you break There is no gain in seats when the seats refuse to unite The only answer — for every city — is to consolidate Unite before you reach the floor Or lose — as cities have — through history's endless night No strength — in numbers No strength...
