Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-02-05


sent the people.of its own State as pre-
scribed in the fundamental law thereof
would hardly be permitted by its acts to
decide great question involving the
rights and welfare of the people of the
whole Union.
The Constitution of New York pre-
scribes that every ten years, in 1866,
1875, 1885, ETC., a census Of the popula-
ton shall be taken, and that as soon as
the returns of the census are all in the
Legislature shall make a reapportion-
ment of the Senate and Assembly dis
tricts, which reapportionment shall be
made in exact proportion to the popu-
lation as shown by the new census.
The New York State census of 1875
showed that during the decade the
Democratic districts, especially those
of New York City and Brooklyn, had
greatly increased i'm population, while
the Republican districts, as rule, had
barely held their numbers. In the
same year the Democrats carried the
State at large by a considerable major
ity, though the Legislature, based as
it was upon the apportionment Of 1865,
was Republican. The Democrats hav-
ing a majority in the whole State, q fair
Of the Senate and As
sembly districts in obedience to the
plain and peremptory mandates of the
Constitution would have given them q
in the Legislature. The Re
publican Legislature refused to obey
the Constitution. In 1876 the Demo-
Gratis again swept the State, but the
remained Republican in
virtue of the obsolete apportionment of
1865. This Legislature also refused to
obey the Constitution by reapportion-
ing legislative representation according
to population, though the outrage was
80 fragrant that while less than 100, 900
Of population sufficed to elect a State
Senator in some of the Republican dis
tricts, it required more than 300, 1000 of
to send Senator to Albany
from some of the New York City and
districts. After making sure
of COnkling's reelection to the United
States Senate the Republicans in the
New York Legislature in 1878 set about
reapportionment as the Con-
stitution required them to do three
years before. But the reapportion-
ment as It was finally made was con-
trary to the Constitution and therefore
void. Democratic constituencies in
New York, Brooklyn and elsewhere
were still denied the pro rata represen-
tation to which they were entitled by
the spirit Of American institutions as
we'll as by the letter Of the State Consti-
tuition, while Republican constituencies
were given far more than they were
to. A single illustration must
suffice. Cattarangus county, by the
census of 1875, has a population of
Al, 900, and is republican; they gave it
two representatives. Suffolk county
has population of so 900, and is Dem
ocratic; they gave it but one represen-
tative. A legislative body based upon
such violations of law can not expect
to command respect away from home.
Being itself the result of a disfranchis-
ing statute, existing by virtue Of an
ourage upon the fundamental law Of
the State, the New York Legislature
can not assume in any way to represent
the people of that State in the choice of
elector. 1t would be the
duty of Congress to reject the vote Of a
State whose people were so misrepre-
sented in the Electoral College.