Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-02-01
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS.

No plan has yet been submitted to either house
of the General Assembly for re-arranging the
Congressional districts of this State, and it is
well understood that the delay arises from the
fact that the dominant party have not yet been
able to agree upon any particular scheme. To
uninitiated observer, it would seem that
simpler and easier problem could hardly be pro-
posed than ful6ment of the constitutional pro-
vision on this subject. All that the Legislature
is required to do is to divide the State into thir-
teen compact districts, to be formed respect
lively of contiguous territory and to include, as
nearly as may be, San equal number of the pop
ulation upon which is based representation in the
House of Representatives" With map OF the
State, and the statistics of population for each
county before their eyes, we should suppose that
our legislators might accomplish the work pre-
scrbed for them without the slightest difficulty
embarrassment. Not SO, however. No ques-
ton of the day more sorely perplexes and puz-
zles the Democratic maj ority of the Legislature
than that of re .districting the State. Why is
this sol Why is it that these gentlemen en-
counter such serious obstacles in the discharge
of duty which, if we look only to the terms of
the Constitution, is apparently so plain and easy
of performance Our readers will readily anti
cipate the true answer to this question. In addi-
tion to the constitutional requirements that the
respective districts shall be compact, shall be for
med of cortig uous territory, and shall include
certain number of people, the Democracy desire
to enforce another condition, not specified in the
Constitution, to wit, that IN each district the Dem
ocratic part shalt haze majority Of the Uoters.-
1t is easy to perceive that this new element in
tina calculation complexities the matter immense
ly, and it is by no means strange that our Loco
foco arithmeticians and agebraists shrewd as
they are and practised in the art of gerrymander-
ing, should be somewhat at fault in their efforts
to solve the difficulty. 1t will be found trouble
some task to carry out the Constitutional provi-
sions in relation the Inject, and their own
plan at the same time. The requisition as to the
'compactness" OF the new districts might be
disregarded, as was the case in 1843, but CONT
guilty of territory is condition which cannot be
eyaded, and this consequently forms the main OBJ
stacle to the accomplishment of Democratic
schemes for the distranchisement of the Wing
party of this Commonwealth. Could county
lying at extremity of the State be associated
with another situated at the opposite extremity
without any Intermediate connection the fail
and liberal purposes of the Democratic party nigh
be- accomplished without difficulty, and it is pc
culiarly unfortunate for them at the present juno
ture that they are denied this unlimited powe
of transposition. We have an abiding conf
dence, however, in the gerrymandering abili
ties of our opponents and shall be disappointed il
they fail to attain their object. We learn tina
Democratic caucus was held on Saturday nigh
to consider the subject of arranging the districts
We are not informed as to the result of its delibe
rations, bat the mere fact that party caucus
was held at all with reference to the question i
tanta mount to open acknowledgment that it i
to be treated as one in which party interests ar
involved and which party considerations are t
controal.