The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-06
THE APPoRTIONMENr.

The first business Of the General Assembly
will be to pass an apportionment law. This
is made imperative by the Constitution. No
other business can be transacted until that is
disposed Of Under ordinary circumstances
the task would be easy. A simple calculation
based npon given ratio, to be adopted as a
basis, would give correct results. But the
circumstances surrounding this question are
not ordinary circumstances. On the contrary
they are very extraordinary. The short and
easy calculation which it is presumed
would give correct results would, in this case,
give results entirely fallacous. In making
the apportionment the General Assembly is
supposed to be guided by the census. The
census furnishes the information on which
the calculation ought to be founded. But if
the information furnished by the census is
incorrect if, indeed, it is not only untrust-
worthy, but VIGOROUSLY false if it has been
purposely falsifed ia order that it may be
made an agency for the furtherance of par
tisan projects, then it ought not to be used as
basis for 50 important and solemn an act of
legislation as the apportionment of represen-
tatives among the various parishes and sena-
torial districts. And it is notorious that the
census Of 1875 is profoundly affected, we may
say, In fact, that it is thoroughly vitiated
by the fraudulent purposes of those by whom
it was taken and by whom its results were
collated We have already given some con-
spicuous instances as. illustrations of the
shameless manner in which the census re-
turns were manipulated. Nobody in his
senses believes that the parish Of St. James
has doubled its population in five years. It
is doubtful, indeed, whether there has been
any material increase in that parish. The
same may be said Of many other Republican
parishes which have been made to show a
large increase of population. Indeed. |
there runs through the whole report |
the evidence Of deliberate scheme to mag
nifty the population of Republican parishes |
and to underestimate the population of Dem
ocratic parishes. The object evidently is to
proportionately augment the Republican rep
resentation in the General Assembly and to |
diminish the Democratic representation. If
NAAS SS@ASe4o
guide in the framing Of an superintendent
law, it will be extremely difficult for the
Democratic party. even if that party should
be largely in the majority, to obtain control /
of the Legislature. In short, the plain pur-
pose of the Republican leaders was, by means
of this device, to perpetuate their predomi-
nance in the legislative branch of the State
Government
The Democratic majority in the House can
not submit to any such pervsrsion and pros
tituticn OF the machinery provided by the
Constitution for the working of our represen-
tative system. A fair apportionment, based
on fair enumeration of population, is
q right just as sacred and just as
important as q fair election or fair
count The attempt to impose upon the
Legislature the VIGOROUSLY fraudulent and
false census of 1875 must be resisted to the
end. The House has the power to re-
sist it, and that power should be en-
ployed to the last extremity. Nothing
ess than this will satisfy the public. If in
addition to q registration and election law
which places in the hands of the Republican :
party power confded to no other State gov !
and Returning Board prepared to {
'itiate the election returns, if that process !
AN be safely repeated, We are to have an ap- i
'ortionment, under which, even with :
majority Of votes and fair count, we could c
lot control the Legislature, the system Of +
popular elections might as we'll be abandoned c
nd the government confded in perpetuity to !
be hands Of the usurpers and corruptionists :
tho have SO long held it in defiance Of the s
ill of the people. L