Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-04-24
ION AND AppORTION-

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RAsrs OF REPRESENTATION AND AppoRrIoN-
IN furtherance Of their plan of entrenching
themselves 10 power in every possible manner,
tha blacks deemed it worth while to take even
spother precaution. As negroes only (or In
comers from the North are eligible to the Leg
stature, it might have appeared unnecessary
to tamper with the apportionment OF represen-
tstion for,the Legislature. But as the whites
iexclud;ng the disfranchised class) are, allowed
tovote, itmight have resulted that the whites
might have sent majority Of negroes to the
LEGISLATURE under white influence For the
whites Excluding the disfranchised) have a
majority in. the State of some 35, 900 votes:-
Accordingly by the article in the Constitution
entitled BASIS of Representation and Appor-
tionment," the State has been gerrymandered,
and the blacks will have majority OF twenty
one on joint ballot in the two houses OF the
General Assembly. The majority OF the com
mittee on this subject were Radicals, and they
brought In report which gave their party
about nine on joint ballot in the Legislature. -
This was partly effected by adopting the regis
trstion of 1867 as the basis Of representation
to adopt as this basis the census returns of
census returns, although it was we'll known that
alarge number of white persons had neglected
torsaister at the late registration.
But the party leaders 10 the Convention were
NOT satisfied with the majority thus secured
They sanctioned the general principles on which
the report was based, which were las regards
the House of Delegates) these: That as far as
practicable each county should have separate
delegate; that there should be one delegate for
each 1900 registered voters; 'and where the
fraction over, in a county, exceeded 900 voters,
to give another delegate; and to every county
in which the number of voters was between
900 and ,SO0.1a delegate each. - J..
The report, in the main, was adopted by the
Convention. Had it been adopted without mod
ifcation, the negroes would have had major
ity of about six in the House of Delegates, Tne
Convention, however, desired more decided
preponderance, and they increased their major
ity in: the House of Delegates by the following
fragrant outrage, without any precedent in all
our past history. Chesterfield county had 81
SS9 registered voters, and was, under the rule
adopted, entitled to two delegates; Pow
hstan, adjoining, had /, 1924 voters, and was en-
titled to one delegate. The report according ly
gave two delegates to Chesterfield and one to
Povhatan. But Chesterfield was doubtful
county; while the black voters heavily prepon-
dered in Powhatan. The Convention accord
ingly threw the two counties together and gave
them three delegates, thus securing certainly
three negro delegates. But they wanted still
more. Accordingly, they then threw Rich
moni city and Henrico county together, on the
motion Of Judge Underwood. Richmond city
had II 1866 registered voters, and the report
assigned it six delegates Henrico had 3,lQS
voters, and was assigned two delegates. 1t
was concluded from the result Of the registra-
ton had last 9 month In Richmond that
the whites could carry this city: But there
vas negro majority of $50 in Henrico. The
Convention therefore again wantonly departed
from the report and all precedent, threw Rich
mond city and Henrico together, and gave them
thus united, eight delegates Thus, as is cal
suIated, q change of sixteen votes is effected in
the House of Delegates. In the same manner,
Richmond sity, which by itself would be en-
titled to two Senator's with a fraction to spare,
is thrown with Henrico, and the two combined
elect three (black) Senators. (This, however,
had been the work of the committee.)