Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1851-11-20
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THE NENTLEGISI.ATU RE.

The Importance ofthe approaching session
Of tho Legislatures lsays the hynchburg
Yirginian) eanr,es Be too constantly borne in
mind BY the people The setting of the
machinery Of our new system to work, will
require the best talents md the largest
Legislative experience that the State can af-
ford IN party aspect it is also of the
hestinportaaoe. The Congressional dis,
triets have to be re apportioned. Suffering
as tho Wing party have done, for ten years, an
almost total exclusion from Congress through
the iustrumentality ofan outrageous gerry
mander, it behooves them 10 make every cx-
ortion to remove this incubus from them
selves and redress the wrong they have 50
long undergone In addition to this, an
United States Senator is to be elected in
the plae. of RIM I Hunter. who, Ike his
colleague, Mr. Mason, has too many South
Carolina istas Id his head to suit the practi-
cal patriotism bf our future state policy
We hope oa- friends will consider these
things anl ID sll that becomes man between
this time and tae coming election
II the next u legislature had 20 other duty
to perform than that Of re-apporti"ning the
Congressional districts, it would be enough
to ineite every Whig 10 the State totuse his
best exortio1s 70 secure full representation
of our party ID both Houses A more IN
just and indefohsible gerrymander than the
present apportionment ia Virginia was new
er carried into effect ia any State: With a
popular vote, under the expiring constitution,
Of soma 90 900 the Democratic majority was
some 1900 in the election. of 1910 5000 in
that of 1914 aud 1900 in that of 1913.
Take the Democratic majority to be the lar
gest number, viz 5000 in 90 1000, and the
Wing vote would be 42,500 which is m ore
than 5Ortys,rta haa3r5dtds Of tie leioi. 90
coo = Leaving out, therefore, the advantage
which the Wings would gain by-taking iato
account federal numbers, the actual basis Of
Coagressiepalrepresentatioa We we're fairly
entitled TO sEvEv OUT or TIE FIFTEEN MEM-
EERs But what did the Democratic Lcgis.
laturc do Did they respect the great re-
| publican principles of protecting the rights
of minorites Not they We heard full
account of thc matter given by the people Of
( HALIFAX by leading actori in the transaction
Mr. John Il .Edmunds He openly avowed
before his constituents that he worked ont
tile problem of so arranging the districts a:
| IN uiva tha n am anr,1s f,,rtoon of ~ =
fifteen. The only possible way, he said, Of
effectins the desired result, vas to place the
great Wing county of Loulg aa III district
that would be Wing by an overwhelming ma
jority and then to smother the Wing yeic,
of Bedford, BY attaching her to the distant
Democratic strongholds of Madison and
Greene In the sam, way Augusta and
sRockbridge had to be linked with tho Tenth
legion, and Kanawha With the Nerth Yves
tern counties. Tho Richmond District. toc
had to be crowded with an extra Democratic
county, in order to kill off John, Minor
i Bolts: This Is the history Of the presen
| apportionment, by which means the WAig:
were in-one Congress, actually reduced L
one representative, and, in two others, hay,
Lad only two The growth Of RichmonC
has, at length, created Wing majority il
this unwieldly district, which unhappilv
hastbcen rendered unavailing by Whig dis
sension -Four or FIVE of the other districts
/ which the Democratic arithmeticians cypher.
| ed rather too closely, We have sometimes
carried By dint Of extreme exertions. or some
difficulty in the eounsels of our opponents.
Thus it is. that Che State Of Virginia has
seemed to be 50 strongly Democratic. ia the
Congressional representation. It is all the
effect Of the most sweeping gerrymander
ever perpetrated in the United States. we
know Of nothing comparable to il
The next Legislature will have toJ rn.ko
apportiennent of the districts and Il
behosvss The Wings of every county to work
with patriotic zeal from now until shutdown
on the sth Of December, TO secure a wb;,t
majority, joint ballot if We can, or at least
IN one or the other of the two Honsas
The aPportionment in the no- cons.!. ,;..
gives Is iaii eAe.--se Of accomplishing this
gree. result ana small preponderance of
y, democratic party 10 the Presidential
election proves that we have not such mipbtv
difficulties 70 overcome, to make the State
Wing altogether Richmond Tins.
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