Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-04-25
Congressional Districts.
We heartily concur with the Cir

We heartily concur with the Gin
cinnati Gazette, when it says:
Nothing can be gained to the Re-
publican party by the districting OF
the State for representatives to Con-
gress 40 unfair and distorted in man.
ner as to come under the term ger
rymander.ng. Nothing for the flu
ture can be calculated upon from
such a arrangement. Ohio has had
a CONSPICUOUS instance OF this. The
Democratic districting upon the GEN.
sus of 1850 was designed to leave
to the Wings but two or three dis
tricts. Its district boun n5aries were
so tortuous that pictures @; them,
with heads, and claws, and tailss like
hideous animals, because the pol:tc-
al caricatures of the camp'igne.
But before that decade had passed
away the situation was reversed, ant.
tie Democrats had even less show
in Congress than they designed to
leave to the Wings. No one can
safely predict anything better OF
such an effort now.
This is considering it on the ba-
sis of material results. There ought
to be q moral sense in this affair.
We think that with the Republican
party in general there is. Popular
government is made contemplate
when it is shown that the people rob
each other of their rightful represen-
tation. We doubt not that the peo-
pie at large are willing that the gov
ernment shall bo organized on the
basis of fair representation. The
motiveseth prevent it are smaller
than the interest Of the people or of
the party. They are personal. In
the abstract, members are willing to
allow the other party fair repre-
sentation. They are even captivat-
ed by that new solvent OF all polite
al ill, proportional representation,
and many profess an
earnest desire that the other party
shall have just as many representa-.
tives as its proportion of numerical
force. But no Republican member
wants to live in Democratic dis
lict, and probably most of them
look to running for Congress, some
time or other, or to friend who is,
or may be, candidate. And thus
it comes about that no one is willing
to make Democratic district.
The motives which carry an un-
fair districting will be smaller than
the interest of the Republican party.
1t would be foolish policy in this
State, where the balance between
parties is so small that the Demo-
Gratis now and then have their turn.
The Republican party is incumbeled
with conscience, and therefore any
thing plainly unfair would help turn
this balance. 1t would set an exam
pie which would shut our mouths
when the Democrats improve it.
1t would be an excuse for their dis
tricting the State at any time when
they get the control of the Legisla-
ture. If Ohio Republicans fancy |
the House Of Representatives is Ger
tain to be in state to refuse to rec
ognize such q redistrlcting, they are |
leaning on broken reed.
The conflict over, this affair OF
has not been creditable to |
the Republicans of the General
The general public will
not allow that there is any great
difficulty in distrcting the State fair
Iy. They will recognize that the
difficulty was chiefly in the unwill-
ingness to do it fairly. We do not
believe that the Republican party
should try to gain by an unfair ar
nor that in the event it
would gain by it. We hope tnat yet
q plan will be agreed to which the
can defend as on such
honorable principles as they could
urge upon the Democrats if they
had the power.