Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-17
A CASE OF GERRxMANDERIKG.


Our Tennessee Radical papers do not
appear 70 have heard Of the outrageous
gerrymander perpetrated by their party in
appOrtioning the congressional districts Of
New York. We judge they have not heard
of this outrage or they would denounee
the act. The law Of Congress requires
that there shall be 1S7, 600 people to entitle
district to Representative, and that the
district shall be compact in its territory.
In this case there are districts containing,
respectively, 92, 900, 90, 900, 1O3, 900 and ILL.,,
600, as contrasted with others containing
1SS, 900, $4,000, 172, 900 and 1861 This
is a violation of the law Of Congress, and, far
more than that, is violation Of natural
equity, inasmuch as it gives to one inhabi-
tant in one district twice as much voice as
the inhabitant of another. This renders
Congressional representation a mere farce.
These inequalities have all been made for
the purpose Of giving the Republican party
advantages in the Congressional elections.
This outrageous bill was vetoed by Gov.
Hoffman; but, although his veto was sus-
tanned by prominent Republican papers,
including the New York Tribune, it was
passed over his head, in spite of the forcible
arguments which it contained. The New
York Tribune Of the 18th inst. says:
ssThe so-called redistricting of the State,
which has just been accomplished by the
Legislature, despite the Governors veto, is
unworthy any other epithet than that of
gerrymanderiug. 1t is not made in the
interests ofjustice, nor even In Difference to
the wishes of politicians. The disparity
Ia the population of some Of the districts,
great as it is, is bound to be greater each
year; and yet the Legislature, utterly dis
regarding these inevitable consequences, has
not only perpetrated existing injustice, but
in many instances has aggravated it. Now
Oneida, which has not increased 5000 in
in population since the apportionment based
on the census Of 1860 was made. still con-
stiIutes one Congress district, while the dis
tricCs which contain the great centers of
population are shuAied about with no other
purpose apparently than to see how much
SLSJ NoAA1 DCehL Al I4iC way Va OllItlSJ dDDOI-
tionment. The State ratio of representa-
ton is about $4,000; yet the rural districts,
more slowly increasing in population than
those which are contiguous TO cities, are kept
in'their position as entitled to one Represent
alive on the old basis of representation. For
Instance, the twelfth district, made up of
Orange and Sullivan, has a population Of
only lis, 452, while the eleventh, comprising
Westehester, Rockland and Putnam, with
III, 9Sl population, is obliged to suffer this
patent disparity. And everybody knows
that Westminster, which has 13l, 348 of the
numerical strength of the eleventh district,
to-day, outnumbering either of the twelfth
and thirteenth districts, viii probably, be.
fore another apportionment can possibly
be made, have population nearly double
that of some of the existing single dis
tricts.
"These instances. can be multiplied indie
finitely, and, added to the injustice of the
divisions made by the Legislature, the cases
of inharmonious arrangement are exasper-
atingly numerous. Counties with no natu-
raj utilization or community of interest with
their partners in the Congress apportion-
ment are huddled together by an arbitrary
act which can only be excused on the
ground Of ignorance or imbecility. 1t
is not possible that the Joint Commit
tee on Federal Relations could have for a
moment considered that Rockland
and Orange might have some ties of inter
est and REORGANIZATION, while Rockland
and Westchester have none at ali. Yet
they have managed to tumble together the
two last named, leaving Orange and Sulli-
van united. The apportionmenti is thorough
Jly and entirely bad; we needed an adjust
ment, in order to correct the inequalities
which have increased with the changes of
population and the movements of social cur
rents. We have obtained only an aggravation
of existing evils and a promise that they
shall be made more determinate as years
elapse with the lines of arbitrary division
left as they are. The work is that of the
party in power in the Legislature, done in
the interest of few Con9ressmen who are
bound to retain their seats, though the peo-
PIE may be abused and misrepresented. 1t
is not susceptible of justification or de-
tense, and must always be classed as one
of the most foolish and unfair acts of this
Reform legislature"