Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-10-04
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
Congressional Conference.

1869, agreeably to the Adjournment
The several conterccs from the entire dis
trict were present
Mr.. ENT, from the Committee appointed
TO make report on the existing Congress
ional opportionment made tho following
report
The Committee appointed by the Confer
ence 10 prepare a statement on the subject
OF the existing Congressional apporllon-
ment, make report as follows:
Tha, upon examination ii will appear
tha, the present arrangement of Congress.
sonal districts in this State lis an unjus, one,
and The authors of it are chargeable with
the highest degree of parlizan sel6shness
and disregard ol The rights OF the people.
1t is proposed 10 show, briefly, the lead
ing facts in relation to the passage OF the
laws on this subject, including a designa.
ton of some of those who supported and
are responsible for them,
In The Slate Senate, Feb. 26ih 1861, on
motion of Mr.. Mcclure, it was
ReSolued, That a select committee oil sew
en- be appointed 10 report 10 the Senate a
bill appor;ioning the State into Congression.
al districts,
1t was ordered tha, Messrs Mcclure, Fn-
ney, Gregg Schindel, Smith, LANDON and
| Lawrence be said Committee.
This Committee, composed of six Re.
| publicans and one Democrat, on the oh of
| April 1861, reported bill entitled, "an act
TO divide The Slate into Congressional dis.
,ricls for the election Of Representatives in
| the Congress CT the United States" The
next day, April 10th, the Senate resolved
| the bill when, after some time, the bill was
| reported back TO the Senate with amend.
ments. 1t was then taken up on secoud
reading, and agreed TO with one unimport.
ant amendment, other amendments propos-
ed by Democratic Senators being vote d
down The rule which prohibits the read
ing OF bills twice on the same day was then
dispensed with and the bill was read a
third time, and passed finally by the follow.
ing vote;
YEAs-Messrs. Benson, Boughier, Bound,
Connell, Finney, Fuller, Gregg, Hall, Ham
ilton, Hiesiand, lmbrie, Ketcham, LAM
DON, Lawrence, Mcclure, Meredith Par
ker, Penney, Robinson, Serrlll Smith,
Wharton, Yardley, and Palmer, Speqker--24
NAYs-Messrs. Blood, Clymer, Crawford,
Mou, Nichols, Schlndel, Thompson and
Welsh s.
The bill then went 10 the House OF Rep
resentalives, where it was considered on
the l0th and l2lh days OF April Among
other amendments proposed TO the bill was
one by Mr. Tracy, OF Bradford, 10 strike
out in the 25h ike the words 'Wayne and
Luzerne countess and iEser, in lien thereof
the words, Bradford, Toga RnI Sullivan
countess" the effect of which would have
been 10 place the latter counties with Sus.
Quehanna county 10 form Congress ional
district. This amendment was rejected by
vote of yeas, SO nays 46, and all other
amendments we're also rejected except one
relating 10 Philadelphia dislric, which was
subsequently, concurred in by the Senate.
On the 18Th Of April the bill passed the
House, finally, by the following vote
YEAs-Messrs Abbott, Acker, Alexander,
Anderson, Armstrong Ashcom, BarGsley,
Bartholomew, Bisel Bixer, Blair. Brewster,
Burns, Cowan, Craig Douglas, Elliott Goeh.
ring, Gordon Graham, Harvey, Hayes, Hl..
man, Hood, Hofus, Huhn, irwin, Koch
Lawrence, Lowlher, M'Gonigai Marshal
Mullin, Patterson, Peirce, Preston, Pnghe
Rely, Ridgway, Robinson, Roller, Sellzer,
ShafTer, Sehman, Stoneback Taylor, Walks
er, White, Wildey, wilson andDayiS, Speak.
u-5l.
NAYs-Messrs. Austin, Ball, Blanchard,
Bliss, Boyer, Brodhead, Butler, Carbon,
Butler (Craw!ord), Caldwell, Clark, Collins,
Cope, Dlsmant, Divlns, Donley, Dullield,
Dunlap, Eilenberger, Frazier ,GaskiIl, Heck,
Hill, Kline, Lesenring, LitctenwalIner, M.
Donough, Manifold, Moo re, Morrison, My
ers, OsierhouI, Randall, Reif, Rhoads,
Smith, [Berksl Smith [PhiladeIphial Tell.
e., Tracy and Willams-39
This bill, (Which was subsequently sign.
ed by the Governor and became law,
divided the State into tweLiy y,lhree Congress.
sional districts, that being the number of
Congressmen which it was understood this
State was entitled 10 under the United Stales
census OF 1860. But in forming the dis.
tricts the most INSCRIPTIONS and Disgrace
full partisanship and dishonesty were man
ilesed. Both Houses had large Republican
majorties, and the Governor being OF the
same parlyj there was nc check upon po
llical passion and injustice.
A, the election OF Governor in 1860, Mr..
Foster had 230 900 votes, and Mr.. Curtin
2e2, ,000 The majority Of the latter was
therefore 80 2,OGO, which, estimating voters
IS one fifth Of the whole people, would
represent population Of l60 600, some.
what but not largely in excess OF the num-
A lair apporionmeat therefore would have
given tDeIue Republican and eleven Demo.
cratic districts, upon The basis of The guber-
Material vote of 1850. Blu, the bill was so
framed as 10 give nineteen Republican ard
but four Democratic Districts, upon that
basis OF calculation. To accomplish this
result the natural connections of counties
were disresarIed districts of very unequal
population were made, and in some cases
counties were divided and the parts put in
different districts. Never since the State
was founded had such bill been enacted
regulating the representation of the people,
nor any one even approaching il in dshon.
esly.
In effect il was 10 transfer no less than
seven Congressional votes from one party
10 the other, making a difference of iour>
teen votes upon any political question in
the National House OF Representatives.
II will be observed that Senator i,andon,
OF Bradford, the present Republican cand-
dale for Congress, in this district, was one
OF the Committee that reported this bill in
the Senate, and that he subsequently sup
ported il by his vote.
The arrangement OF districts made by the
act OF 1861, was subjected 10 some moIifi-
cation aS IN The aaStprn mari af tho Staio hy