Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-04-27
Fraudulent Representation.

sentatlOn m the legislature TO which
they are justly entitled. This subiec
has long engaged the earnest consid
Grafton of thoughtful statesmen il
England and in this country, who
have observed and lamented the evil,
growing ont Of the present electora
system. They have seen unscrupn
lous parlisans avail themselves of The
system to commit the most wanton
frauds on the right Of representation,
Under II individual citizens not mere
ly, but entire communities are dis.
lranchiscd. Minorities are not only
systematically eilenced, but maiorities
are repeatedly doirauded, and their
will set at utter defiance. The nfree
vote" is designed TO eradicate the
mischicis that have taken root under
the present detective practice, and
give to the people the right Of repre-.
sentation in its spirit and truth.
In contempt Of the popular will the
party in power organized territories oi
the West into premature States in or.
der TO maintain their superiority in
the Senate. The "rotten borough
communities of Nebraska, Kansas and
Nevada were admitted TO the Union
without possessing sufficient popula-
ton under the ratio to ontitle one OF
them 20 a single representative in
Congress. Yet each of them has a
representative 10 the House, and thes c
misbirths Of States have six members
of the Senate, and are as potential in
that body as the great Common
weatas Of New York, Pennsylvania
and Illinois This is a most fragrant
violation of the true principle of repre-
sentation, but il was deemed necessa-
ry by the Radicals TO secure their
bold Of power In the same spirit
that geographical and political mon
strosity, West Virginia had its pre-
mature birth. These evils cannot be
remodicd by the Stree vote" but are
referred 10 merely 10 show the lengths
TO which the radicals have gone in
their violation Of the spirit of our
free institutions. II will be long time
before the country will recover from
the shock that has been given by the
untimely organization OF these sparce-
ly settled wilds into States, with the
consequent introduction of ignorant
and reckless adyenturers to the Ma.
tional Senate. To the votes aud in
fuence Of these new men 10 Congress
are due the monstrous and corrupt
projects which, under pretense OF de-
veloping the resources of the coun.
try, have stripped the nation Of m
told millions OF acres Of its domain,
and conferred the land on monopolies
in which they secured membership
by their votes and services.
Dut tncro aIU mtsCutuis IA tnu vi,-.
toral system which the "free vote"
can eradicate. A few days ago we
took occasion to illustrate Dy the rec
ord the manner in which the radical
politicians Of Pennsylvania have man
aged TO obtain a majority OF twenty
members of the House, with a supe-
riority in numbers of less than five
thousand in a popular vote Of nearly
six hundred thousand. These frauds
are 80 shameful that their perpotra-
tors have never attempted to palliate
or excuse them, except, according 10
their low moral code, as a legitimate
part Of the disrcputablc game Of poll
tics A monte dealer would be asham-
ed 10 abuse the customers who sit
around his green table as the men
who made the last apportionment Of
Senators and members of the legisla-
ture, cheated the people of Pennsyl-
vania In most every State Of the
North, controlled by the radicals, this
practice Of "gerrymandering" and
fraud is in operation. The processes,
by means Of the bayonet, in The South
ern States are sharporand more decis-
i've, and, OF course. do not como under
this head 1t is not too much, per
haps, to say that those frauds on the
right of representation viii exist eve
fywhere under the present system
If the radicals have developed them
TO an alarming extent, the system it.
solfinvitos and encourages these vic
ious practices, and they will be en-
gagged in, no matter what party may
have possession Of power.
The representation in Congress
from Pennsylvania shows the iniqui-
tous operation Of the present plan in
silcncing not minorities merely, but
maorities, when skillfully employed
in making the appointment Of mem
bors of Congress. The delegation OF
Pennsylvania in Congress stands
eighteen radicals TO six democrats -
The democrats elected eight, but the
Committee of Election is another in.
famous institution TO tramplc on the
right OF representation when appor-
tionment villainy fails TO help out an
obnoxious candidate like a Coyode.-
lntho election OF 1865, when these mem.
bers of Congress were chosen, the
democrats pollcd 32l,739. For each
OF these six democratic members of
Congress, then, il required 53,62S
votes. The radicals cast at the same
election 33l ,il6 votes. Each of the
eighteen radical members required
only lS,4l0. The people have been
sldllfully and successfully defrauded
that upwards OF fifty thousand votes
are required to send q democrat to
Congress from Pennsylvania, and less
than twenty thousand can choose q
radical The pious Of the party should
put a new saint in the calendar, and
pay homage TO him as "Saint Gerry
mandcr' An examination of returns
will give like results 10 New York
Ohio, Illinois aud every other State
which the radicals control To this
do The people owe that reckless two
third majority in Congress, oxulunf
aud illbcgoitcn power and ready &c
keep possession oft by any deviltry
which the most corrupt and daring OF
its members may devise. To this
wauton violation Of every genuine
idea Of popular representation Is ow
ing the class legislation which place.
the many at the mercy Of the few