The New York herald., 1878-03-15
FULL OF DANGEROUS CHANGES.
Mr. AlvOrd Speaks Vigorously in Advocacy Of
Ills AppOrtiOnmsnt Scheme.
DISFRANCHlSEMENT OF CITIES.
Mr.. Brooks Presents a Budget OF New
York's Grievances.
ALBANY, March IA, 1878.


The time which the Assembly is devoiing to tho
discussion OF apportonment Is evidently wasted
The constitution provides that 'he members OF AS
semby shall be apportioned among the several
countes OF State by the Legislature As nearly as
may according to the number OF their respective
inhabapts" but Mr.. Avord speaks OF the talk about
the con slit uon this connection as call nonsense"
Mr.. Fish, Mr.. Astor aud other republicans,
support him and with him, and there
Is little doubt that his unconstitutional and partisan
measure will at length be patched up and carried
through tho House. AS The Governor will certainly
veto it the debate it is tho better
The debate may havo some ultimate use outside the
Chamber by calling the attention OF voters TO the
traordinary wrongs which are consented to by some
MEMBERS who pretend TO represent Them at Albany.
The manner in which the Senate districts IN
Now York and Brooklyn have been gerry
wandered and misconstructed by the committee
which reported the Avord b some members OF
which committee sont here from New York city
Itself, partially explained yesterday. To-day Mr..
Tban, of the Twenty first Assembly district, showed
under this bill in the ward where he resides the
voters could vote for Senators, and that IN the
Nineteenth ward, TOO people could In two Sena-
ftoral districts. When Mr.. Brooks reminded Mr..
Fish, OF Putnam county, that Putnam, with popua-
ton OF $4,000, Is allowed a representation which
. population of "a, 600 in Now YORK denied he
only instanced OF the twenty similar mpafisons
which might be made. Mr.. Bergen called attention
70 the TACT that the Senate district In Kings county
where Senator Jacobs elected 10 entitled 10 two
Benators and tnen would have surplus unreprc-
scented population, according to tho present basis OF
1904 The Ninth Assembly district in this Senate
district represented by Mr. Bergen. has population
ofover one population larger than
that of any OF the following republican Senate
dstrlcts-namely, the Sixteenth, Seventeenth,
Eighteenth, Twentieth, Twenty first Twenty fourth,
Twenty y-ffh. Twenty-sixth and Thirty second. Yet
only AssemDyman from this populous district is
granted in the Alvord bill Mr. Graham, of Orange,
while he could not explain away such discrepancies,
emphasized the political object OF the bill, and frankly
expressed the intention OF the majority, especially the
country members, retain for the country districts
outside OF New York and Kings the control Of the
State
1t of no avail, therefore, for Mr.. Halliday to
mind The Assembly that tho counties OF Tnmpkins and
Putnam have neither them any better constitutional
right to he members gwen them than New York and
Brooklyn have 10 the members withheld from them,
and of just little avail for Mr. Daily to pro.
lest the majority that physical power to do
wrong is never Justification for doing 1t, and that
majoritics suffer popular esteem by doing
what Is fair
MR.. ALvoRD's
Mr.. Avord, who declared that he, like Andrew
Jackson was accustomed construe and obey the
constitution understood It, defended his bill
bad grounds with tho same earnestness that he might
have shown II defending II on good ones. Explaining
the position which the majority OF the Committee on
Apportionment have taken in regard TO the arrange
ment Of tho members oil the Legislature, he said
shat in the interior OF the State wards OF
cries and towns of counties are represented
by supervisors Those governed
of carda N
tneir local desires and needs. He Instanccd the
county oil Onono aga which had within its borders
city with population very nearly equal to hall the
population OF the entire county. There are nineteen
outside towns, yet the city of Syracuse is repre-
sented by than thIrd OF the mem
bcrs OF the Board OF Supervisors. There are towns
IN that county with population OF 16o0 or 700. and
they have member in tho Board. There
nre also other towns with population OF
single member. 1t is so all over the state.
the people OF counties with very few EXCEPTIONS and
that 10 the cases of cities, acquesced in this
control and representation OF their interest," and are
entirely satisfied that does not at all retard tho
prosperity OF Counties aud that 1t effects ali tho good
that be had from this organization oil the local
Legislature. According TO this view the makers OF
the constitution with The appreciation oil the people,
sad that every county then organized, without re.
gard to It's population. should be entitled TO NOM
ber OF the Assembly. Nov twenty-two counties are
entitled to a member. Making the divisor I2S and
the quoent the basis OF the representation in the
State tnoy all fall below II, but there IL an
absolute constitutional necessity that they should
be represented, and tho majority oil the
and justly right that there should be taken away from
the aggregate OF the population OF the state the num-
Der OF people which these twenty-five counties con.
and the balance divided by The remaining LOG
members ''Divding," said he ''ln this way, and
giving those counties which were entitled under
this division their representation according to
the amount OF measurement with which we measured
them, wo iouDd, giving New York twenty-six and
Kings thirteen, they had but small NUMBER less than
TO- 900 against about 3o0 900 in the country unrcpre
sented We concluded that that was not the right way
~ do this thing. We came then 10 another
II.
II could nrrve at such u measure
that so far as IL regarded those counties IN the State
who had to carry surplus OF population above true
that they snould not at least be pct IN position
whore they would have creator population TO carry
than other portion Of tue state We ac
cordingiy. after figuring IA various ways,
found that, giving twenly-throe members to
there was o surplus Of uDrepresentcd population IN
this State, governed by tho exact ratio OF 06 divided
representation. giving New YORK twsnyithree
and Kings twelve Now YORK and Kings
carry 10000 OF unrepresan.ed population while while
try carry over 10000. Gentlemon say that we
live In the country, and there are other counties IN
pur immediate noighborbood that represented TAR
beyond their ana their necessities based upon
the idea OF exact quota That Is not our fault II
Is the fault OF the constitution which gives to these
counties their presentation, and IL cannot be avoded
We have got TO take tho constitution as we nnd ~,
and We are making thIs apportionment with due
and Just regard 10 the interest tho entire people
OF ths state, not undertaking TO ignore Manhattan
Island not undertaking to ignore any portion oi the
State but taxing the same OF Ne. York that we
do oil ST. Lawrence and OF Erie and Of the remote
portions OF the interior oil the State.
''No arrangement oil districts" concluded Mr. Al
word, ''can possibly be had, gving either twenty
seven and fourteen or twcnysx and thirteen TO New
York Kings without casting upon the balance oil
The peo pie OF this State unrepresented population
OF almost three hundred thousand, while the amount
tbal will DO unreprcscnted In the extreme case upon
their part will be less than twenty thousand"
These positions having been controverted at great
length by the opponents OF tho bill Two amendments
we're os-one by Mr.. BROOKS, to substitute the minor.
ity Assembly bill, the other by ar Wiert altering
when the discussion interrupted by the adjourn.
ment until tomorrow.
MR.. BROOKS LErs FALL HEAVILY.
The opportunity gwen him by the Apportiohment
bill was seized by Mr.. Brooks to perform service TO
tue taxpayers OF New York city by exposing IN q
sogen address wrongs heaped upon them by the State
Legislature.
For the last twenty years, as said by Mr. Brooks,
The action oil the Legislature toward the Cty has
been Of continued oppression and injustice.