Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-04-27
Senate and Assembly Districts.


The Legislature has constituted the
Counties of Marathon, Portage, Wau-
paca and Wood, as the Senatorial Dis
trlct, and the Counties of Marathon
and Wood as an Assembly District.
Although the two last named Coun-
ties are contiguous, yet there is no di-
rect thoroughfare from one to the other.
without trayersing over twenty miles
miles through Portage County. The
distance between the county seats of
the two counties is about eighty miles.
For convenience and identity of inter
est, We might with the same proprietv
have been attached to Marquette or
Sank County. To accommodate both
counties, the Conventions Of the dis
tnct will have to he held at Stevens
Point, in Portage County!
Against this manifest wrong, the cit
liens of this county, without respect to
political affiliations, have demonstrated
to the Legislature, but their protest has
had no effect, and for reasons cited in
the following private letter addressed
to us by Senator Browne, who has con
scented to allow us to publish it. The
reader will bear in mind that Assembly
districts must be formed out of Terri
tory comprising a Senatorial District.
MADISON, April 9th, 1861.
DEAR JACK Your favor was re-
celved two days since, but have neg
lected to answer it till now, and lir.
Garrison and | wished to consult with
each other to do something if possible.
will state the matter just as it is and
you will see that we are powerIess in
the premises. You will recolIect that
you, Messrs. Hanchett, McIndoe, Gar
rlson and myself consulted as to the
apportlonment ill the early part of the
Session. Not one Of us suggested ey-
en-, the division Of Portage Co.; but,
As | understood, considered it very
difficult matter 70 get along with, with
out putting Wood and Marathon in one
Assembly District, and none were per-
fectly satisfied with that. [ was after
wards put on the apportionment Com
mlttee, and the Committee made It
point not to djUjde q County. For
this reason, Kenosha Co. has almost
| double representation. In no instance
has County been divided. Your Go.
and Marathon contain q population of
5363-on y a fraction over. half the
requisite number for District. Por-
tage Go. contains enough within
200. When the Committee agreed up
on plan to report, no one even th0't
Of dividing Portage Go. Not q human
being from that %. had requested it,
and believe from no other. IL was
proper to attach your Co. and Mara
thon together, as there is as much Of
your territory contiguous to Marathon
Go. as there is Of Portage. We have
avoided gerrymandering, as we believe
it ultimately Injuries any political party
to make unnatural divisions, &c, forI
party benefit. But if we had divided
Portage Co., it would not have chang
ed the political status Of the two dis
tricts-if one is democratic now, one
would have been in that case. The
division Of Portage Go. would have
therefore been a kind Of zoc0z gerry |
naanaori3ag-entirely inexcasable, With |
out the expressed and uacqniyocal
wishes Of the people Of Portage CO.
We had no such request--llo such
wish expressed by any body. The
Committee reported unanimously in
favor of the apportionnent made. The
bill passed the Senate without obiec-
tons or amendment before your letter
arrived. We have nothing more to do
with it in the Senate unless tits amend
ed ia the Assembly, and no ten men can
change it there, as it gives almost uni
versal satisfaction. Ifyou had thought
of dividing Portage Co., you should
have sent petitions from your Go. and
Portage month ago. It was too Lute,
if there were no other objections, at
the time your letter arrived. I have
consulted with your friends and mine
in Portage Co., and not one Of them
advised a different apportionment from
the one made. Now [ submit to you,
Jack, would it have been right to di-
vide Portage Go. against their wishes |
the wishes Of our mutual friends ?-I
You are not hopelcssly democratic-in
the opinion Of men well posted I am
sorry we could not have made it more
satisfactory to you all, but Mr.. CARR
son and myself have studied upon that
matter more than upon any other mat
ter before us this winter, and both con-
Guided that no other apportionment
could be made. Think, if You can, of
any other except by dividing Portage
Co.-and would you consider US JUST
| fed in doing that AGAINST the wishes