The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-03-18
of Representation i'm
the General Assembly.
UNWORTHY REPORT OF SENATOR R, a. GREENE

to distribute and apportion representation in the
General Assembly of Virginia is in my Judgment
in plain violation Of the 18th Section Of the 5tb
Article of the Constitution Of this Commonwealth,
which, among other things, requires that the state
shall be divided into representative districts OF CON
tiguous counties cities and towns being compact it,
| FORM and including, s'as nearly as may be
| an equal number of population"
TIE districts as provided Tor by the bill referred
| to- are not compact nor have they, as near may
| be, an equal number of Inhabitants. A common
ratio of population representation is not preserved
But ON the contrary in of the districts, pro-
vided for the inhabitants thereof are given three
| times as large representation as the same number
of inhabitants in another district are entitled to-
Nor is this gross inequality unayodablo or ntoes'
sary. Hs,
plainly made with reference to the party politics OF
| such inhabitants. And in proof OF the foregoing
statement attention is invited to tho following Illus
| tratons:
spottsylvania county, having population of IL
| 49, has two delegates being one for each 1894 in
habitants while Norfolk county, having population
| of 16SS9 has but delegate, being one to 1889
inhabitants, about one third of tho ratio CT the
representation gran ted in Spottsylvania county.
The Democratic candidate for State Senate, Hon.
Charles Herndon received at The last election 1885
votes in Spottsylyana county, while his opponent
the Republican candidate, received only $50 votes
| Hon George Teamoh, the Republican candidate for
State Senator at the same election received in Nor
| folk county, *2,527 votes while the Democratic
| candidate received only g 1,45s votes.
| The county of Bland, having population of 4,0o2
| Inhabitants 10 given delegate, while Charlotte
county, having population OF l4,5l3 10 given only
| one delegate. The Hon. james M French, tie Demo-
cratic candidate for State Senator received in the last
election in Bland county 346 votes, whilo the Repub
| lcan candidate received only 20 votes The Hon. j.
W. ID. Bland, the Republican candidate Tor the State
Senate, received in Charlotte county, 1864 votes,
while the Democratic candidate received ID votes
Tho county of Greene, having a population Of
4,634, is given delegate, while the county Of
Prince Edward, having population of 120oI is given
| only one delegate. The Hon. r.. y. Beasley, the
Democratic candidate for State senator, received in
n1a
his opponent, the Republican candidate, received
only 10 votes. The Hon. j. W. D. Bland the Re
publican candidate for State SENATOR at the last cleo
tiop received in Prince Edward county 1434 votes,
| while his Democratic opponent received but 9l5
| votes. tya..l
is allowed one delegate, while the county of Gooch-
land having population of 10 3l4, is given only
delegate At the last election Hon. Edmund Pendls-
county 567 votes, while his Republican opponent re-
ceived only l24 votes At the last election Hon. W.
p Moseey. Republican State senator, received s95
votes in Goochland county, while his Democratic
| competitor receised emily 829 votes.
The county Of Warren, having apopulation of T21,
is given delegate, while the city of Portsmouth,
having population of 1882, is given but dele
| gate The Hon. John b. Roller, Democratic State
senator, received at the last election in Warren
county 4ol votes, while his Republican competitor
received 40 votes. The Hon. George Teamoh, at the
same election received in Portsmouth city ri 600
votes, while his Democratic opponent received *Io0
| votes. f nA+ t1 20
|
given delegate, while the county of Henry hav-
/ ing population of 1884, has but delegate
The bon. w. ID. Smith, Democratic senator, received
in Clarke county at the last election CIT votes while
his Republican competitor recsived only 455 votes.
The Republican candidate for State senator received
at the last election in the county OF Henry 943 votes
while the Hen. James Patterson, bis Democratic
petitor received sos votes. y. f- iel
AIiddlesex county, having population of 1881 is
| given one delegate, while Dnwiddie, having popu
! 1ation of 11T67, is given but delegate. Hon
Il X. Democratic
the last election in Middlesex county 476 votes,
while his Republican competitor received 95l votes.
Hon. David q. Carr Republican SENATOR received at
the last election 533 votes in The county Of Dnwid-
| die, while his Democratic competitor received SIG
| votes.
Northumberland county, having q population of
$685., is given one delegate while Brunswick county,
having population of 13 Az has only delegate.
Hon. Merriwether Lewis, Democratic senator, at the
| last election received in Northumberland county
1902 votes while his Republican opponent received OIL
votes. Hon. VIM. p Austin, Republican State sena
tor, received at the last election in Brunswick
ty 1868 votes, while his Democratic opponent re-
ceived 925 votes. @
King George county, having a population of 5,743,
is given one delegate, while York and James City
counties together, having population OF III 622 is
| given only one delegate Hon. Merriwether Lewis,
Democratic SENATOR received at the last nfrom
opponent received 516 votes The Republican candi-
dates for State senators received at the cleo
ton from the counties of York and James City 1855
votes, while their Democratic opponents received SSl
votes. a.-
| Mathews county, having population of 6205, is
| given one delegate, while Buckingham, having a
population of 49, 81, has but delegate. Hon. W.
z. PERRIN Democratic State senator received at the
last election in Mathews county Geo votes while his
Republican opponent received 1853 votes. Hon. Frank
Moss Republican State senator received in Buckng-
ham county at the last election 14i4 votes, while
| his Democratic opponent received ,196 votes
We find, then, that the twenty districts referred
to above, give the following results when aggrega-
ted:
The ten Republican districts containing popula-
ton of l26S26 souls given ten delegates, while
the ten Democratic districts having population Of
only So, 214 souls given eleven delegates 1t is
believed that the annals of partizan legislation no
whore exhibit of unjust and partizan diacrimi-
nation monstrous as this 1t dee3 parallel and
subversive of the Constitution Of the liberties
ofthe people. If this unjust discrimination not
designed culpab.e and criminal it is SO careless, in
consderate and otherwise monstrous that it ought
not to receive the support of any body of patriotic
intelligent men.
1t is true that a critical examination of the bill
referred TO, will show that in very few INSTANCES
like unjust discrimination has been made against the
inhabitants of Democratic countless
For example: Montgomery county, with popula-
ton of 1864, is given butone delegate; while Stat
ford county, with population of 642i is given one
delegate. Such cases. however, only show that the
purpose to deny the people of just representation,
was SO fixed and determined that it wonld not halt,
although it became necessary occasionally to outrage
i the rights of political friends.
1t is also true that in some like unjust dis
elimination is made in favor of Republican county.
But the instances rare. For example: lancaster
! county, having population of 1856, is given one
delegate, while the Democratic county of Lee. having
population of 49, $780, is given only delegate,
| which can only be accounted for by supposng that
the authors of the superintendent blinded as
to overlook 10 their mad zeal such powerful consti
tuencies as that of Lee Their zeal ouran their dis
erection. .f .a.
Again, this apportonment divides the delegates as
| follows Democrats, 81 Republicans, 3S. That
is, although the Democratic party had majority at
the last State election OF 5000 total vote Of go
900, they are given more than two-hrds and nearly
| three-fourths of the whole representation
| Again: In Republican counties, taking the whole
State at large, it requires onetenth re population
| to secure delegate, than it does in Democratic
counties.
But perhaps the most startling exhibit of this
remarkable bill is found by comparing fifty counties
which are entitled to delegate each, aud arrsng
ing them according to population without regard to
politics, have this result Twenty-Five OF these
counties have population of 307 1884, while the other
| twenty-five counties have an aggregate population of
l7l,l4l, and yet they have the number of dele
| gates.
The senetoral apportionment of tho bill reported
by the majority OF the committee has the same unjust
| Determinations For instance: The Democratic die
tricts, composed of the counties of Lee Wise and
Buchanan, with population of Fl ,S43 is given one
Senator, while the Republican district composed of
the counties Of Chesterfield, Amelia and Cumberland
is entitled TO only Senator for 36656 inhabian
Richmond citya the county of Henrico form q
| Democratic district of 66276 Inhabitants, and is
given three Senator's one for each 12092 inhabi-
tants while the Republican counties Of Charlotte and
Mecklenburg, are put together to form one district
with population of s5,s57 inhabitants, end given
only one Senator.