Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-11-29
Congressional Apportionment.
From the Bee

IlOHl III Dec.J
The Legislature, at the approaching session
will have to ]re-apportion the State into Cor
gressional Districts. This is always a trouble
some and embarrassing task, because %sectiona
as we'll as political considerations are called int
play, and are apt materially to interfere with
lust and honest repartition. We well remembe
the immense difficulty which attended the las
apportionment. The House was Wing, tn
Senate, Locofoco. A bill passed the House b
a large majority, divided the State into fou
districts, each having very nearly the exact rep
resentative population. Politically the divls
ion was considered fair, there being one whie
one democratic, and two doubtful Districts
The Senate amended the bill apportioning tn
| State as it now is. The House refused to con
cur, Committees circumference were oppoint
| ed. and were unable to agree. For some TIM
it was apprehended that the Legislature woulc
| adjourn, without fulfilling the important duty Of
| Congressional apportionment when finally al
the very heel of the session, new Conference
Committees were created, and the House gave
way, surrendered completely to the Senate, and
the bill, as modified by that body became a
law.
That the apportionment was not a fair one is
manifest. Louisiana may be safely proclaimed
a close and doubtful State, politically speaking.
She voted Van Buren, once, and for Polk;
she likewise voted for Harrison and Taylor.
Her State officers have for the most part been
Democrats-her Legislature bas much more
frequently been Wing than Locofoco. By the
apportionment of 1871, the strong Wing par
ishes along the coast were packed together,
comprising with the Second Municipality and
A .. l:4,;o4 ,,,b;.b r;uac from S00 tn 9 000
Wing majority. The First and Third Munich
palities and Plaquemine, and St. Bernard, were
constituted into an almost hopelessly Locofoco
The Florida parishes and the north
eastern portion of the State were conglomera-
ted into another strong Democratic district. In
the Fourth District the heavy Wing parishes of
the Opefousas and Attakapas country were
smothered beneath a tier of Democratic strong
holds in the northwestern part OF the State.
In short, two thousand Wing majority was
crammed into the Second District, and two
thousand Democratic ajority very neatly and
divided between the First, Third and
The proof of the gerrymander is the
;act, that the Wings, from the year when the
lpportionment went into effect, have never sue
in any other than the Second District,
Until now, and would not at the recent canvass
lave UeeH eHdOicu 10 carry tHe IOuIlii, Dut loI
he power of the Union question, which i'm
,aired the Democratic ascendancy in that
quarter.
According to the last decennial census, Lou
siana remains entitled TO four Representatives
n Congress but the districts will require re-
Modelling so as to conform to the Federal num-
apportioned to each district. We trust that
he Legislature will examine this question thor
ughly, and settle it in a spirit of fairness, JUS
ice and equality. We wish no "Gerrymander."
We deprecate any abuse of the political power
,hich the late election'has. conferred upon the
Wigs. All we claim is, that our adversaries
nould not be allowed a 4 marked proponderance.
I'd that, as far as possible, the delegation
'ould be divided politically. Let the Legis!a-
Ire apportion the State so as to give two Dis
lets to the Wings and two to the Democrats.
this be found impracticable, let the Wings
i've one district certain, the Democrats ano-
and let the two remaining districts be {
in such a way. that they may be c
regarded as doubtful.