Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-10-09
From the North Carolina Standard.
ssDE nISTRICTING THE STATEo

The Register of the 18th inst has an arti-
Gle on this subject, urging it upon the con-
sciences and duty of the next Legislature to re-
district this State, and Repeal the act of 1912.
The Editor states boldly that the power
does exist to re-district the State, quotes very
learnedly the Constitution, that 'sthe times,
places and manner of holding elections for
Senators and Representatives shall be pre-
scribed in each State by the Legislature there
of; but that Congress may at any time by
law make or alter such regulations, except as
to the places of choosing Senator's" (Article
l. Sec. ~
The existence of the power of the Legisla-
ture, to alter the act establishing the present
districts, will not be denied any more than it
will be denied that Congress hasthe power by
law to make and alter any regulations that the
State might adopt. From this power, would
any sane man say that Congress should make
and so alter our law, that one district might
send the Grhole number of members, or that al
the members should be chosen from one par
tlcular district? Yet it could be as fairly de-
duced from the reading of the Constitution, as
the argument of the Register IS sound and Ie-
gal for changing the present law.
The census of 1910 caused Congress to in
crease the ratio of Representation from A.
roo to 7O,68O federal numbers and reduced
the number of the House from 242 members
to 223 This reduced the number of Repre-
sentatives from North Carolina from 3 to nine.
1t was the sworn and indispensable duty of the
Legislature of 1912 then to arrange the State
to suit the new ratio established by law This
necessity produced the act of 1912, chapter
XIV, establishing the present districts, as at
! hT
the Register as IAN odious Gerrvmander,' -
which {" enables the minority Of the people to
choose a majority of the Representatives" and
g the fruit of fraudulent c0ntriUance OF the
Democratic party.'
Let US look at the history of the act of 1912
and see whether it deserves the opprobium OF
the Register
The act of 1912 was not a democratic mea-
sure, for the Journals of the Senate, where the
bill originated show that such Wings as ALI
son of lredell, Burgin of Burke, Cathev Of
Haywood, Elliott of Randolph, Hodges OF
Beaufort and Hyde, Jones Of Wilkes, Pharr'ot
Cabarrus, Ribelin of Rowan voted for the fl
nal passage, while such Democrats as AIRING
ton of Nash, Cooper of Martin, Exum O
Wayne, Pasteur of Craven, Shepard of Wake
Speight of Greene, Tomlinson of Johnston, anC
Walker of Mecklenburg voted against it
(See Senate Journal, page 218,)-27 yeas tc
10 nays. If with these Democrats, (as gooC
and true as the State ever produced) the
Wings had voted as a party, the bill would
have been lost To the Wings then must at
tach the sweeping denunciations of the Regis
ter as g to odiOus Genymander" and g fraud
ulent COntrIyances."
But the act was not I'm lust to the Wings II
any shape; the act gave them undoubtedly
the 1st, I'd, 4th, and 9th dstricts-with fan
chance for the 9TH district-that is / members
certain and perhaps 5 out of nine members il
a State, then represented by Democratic Leg
islature. If by force of popular opinion
they have lost strength, the fault does not lie
in the act, but in the people who sometimes dc
not think proper to vote as certain Editors may
desire.
: There never has been a Legislature in Nortf
. Carolina that have attempted to re-distrct thu
State and thus Introduce scheme so fraugh
: with anarchy and confusion. The changes
) made in 1911, under very high party excite
ment, repeating the act of 1902 and 1903, ant
directing the Legislature to elect Electors TO
President and Vice President, only applied tt
the Electors for President, and not to the Re
representatives. in Congress and surely prece
dent not applicable, adopted under party eN
) element and since changed, by which powe
. was thus transferred from the people, can find
: but little favor with the representatives of thu
people at this time. The act OF 1912 was pas
sed as similar acts, after the census was takel
z and the ratio established by Congress. Fo
veal or wo it should stand until new cen
sus and a new ratio as all similar act
have stood in our State and neUer altered
Districts should be established as convenien
and compact as possible, and never for the pro
motion Of party purposes. The coming Leg
islature may commit this outrage. There i
no certainty that the Democratic party will no
again be in the ascendant, and they may, ''trea
ding in the footsteps Of their illustrious prede
, cessors," again re-district the State, and thus
system of anarchy, confusion and tumult vii
| be introduced at war with the established usa
| ges and quiet habits of our State.
| MECKLENBURG.