Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-02-25
lallrastrr futeI!:sencsr.
FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. as, 1881.
4 Congressional Appo-tionr,ent.

Inc aprcrtlonment OF the state into
congressional districts Of nearly equa
size, of contiguous territory, without ex
tending any one too far and without cut
ting up counties which do not form :
single district in themselves, is moi
nearly so difficult a matter as the parti
san schemes of gerrymandering legisla
tors generally make it. It is to the public
interest that the integrity of counties he
preserved as far as possible, that the
equality Of population in the several
districts be regarded, that the districts
he c'mDact, that the interests Of a mum
Der Of counties joined together be as
ne:i'!!. identical as possible, that natural
boundaries he respected, and, ali Other
things being equal, that existing districts
be maintained. Only after these con-
siderations be given due weight should
account he made Of the political com.
pleXion OF the districts to be formed
and only to remedy gross political in
equalities should boundaries be changed
which otherwise fulfil the requirements
OF fair appGrtioIment. The trouble
with legislatures nowadays is that thew
make the last consideration first. and
Start where they ought to end, with a
desire to accomplish certain party ends.
Ii they would district states with q: view
solely to the fairness of the apportion-
ment and to s:'apely geographical boull-
daTies, they would generally find the net
result about in accordance with the rel
ative strength. of the parties in the
whole state. or course, there must be !.
surplus of population in some districts.
and IA deficiency in others, hut when
these are pretty evenly balanced between
the parties and the sections, and when
as many districts as possible shall be
made that are closely divided in political
sentiment, no serious in Justice will be
worked by thc ap.'or: ioImant. Mani
fes,ly it is we'll TO have lis many
doubtful districts as possible, so that all
parties will find their necessity in serving
the public interest by promoting the
candidacy ni their hest possible men.
Nor does it follow that an appor:io
ment made for partisan ends will always
meet them ; since it has been shown that
in Pennsylvania, the first year after the
present &lfortionment, which was in
tended to elect from seventeen to twenty
Republicans, that party only elected
ten ; while in Ohio more recently the
Democrats have been similarly hoist on
tlrI; own pctaiM.
We present elsewhere L proposed ap-
pOrtiOnment Of Pennsylvania into cou-
grtsSianal districts upon the basis of the
new Census; and assuming that the pres
ent numerical representation of the state
in the federal House will be con-
tinued. This districting has been made
10y consultation only of the map and
census tables and without any reference !
to partisan interests or political results. |
From the higher view of the apportion-
ment which we present, it will be seen
that it does not require any county to be ,
cut up, except Philadelphia and Ale, ;
ghtny- which are entitled to more than
one member. Under the present ap-
por;ion!hent Bucks and L,lzerne
'iH t"i' iii"i''!. ouf proposed
aDp"rtioIinent preserves cnntiyuity of
territory and Eomogeneity of interest as
Ear as We believe it to be possible in a
faIr apportiohment. Lancaster and
b ,rks, TO he sure. both fail short of the
requisite ratio, but it is manfestly i'm
p 'sSible to join either of them with anv
other. Chester and Delaware, Bucks
and Montgomery, Lelii g'l and North
ampton, and Scl'uylkill and Carbon. are
plainly such districts as the law and ,
fairness contemplate should be made up
when two counties are to be Joined.
Without exception they bring together
people of like interest and are SO situ.
ated 'iS 10 make compact and contiguous
distric,%. Tie same may he said of
nearly every other proposed district.
though ni course tisa difficulty of pre-
serving and carrying out these requi. ,
sites increases with the number of coun- .
Ties to be joined. The 18th district,
composed of Pike, Monroe. Lackawanna
Ind Wayne. would he Il marked i'm =
provement on the present fearful and :,
wonderful combination, including Mon :
zoe and Pike, composing the 1lth dis :,
'rict and stretching from Northumber-
and to New Jersey and New York. \
The siX-county iFranklin-H Huntingdon i
tiStrict Is compact aud So is the Cen =,
re-Ciinton, and the Clearlirld districts. a
The latter would have to take in seven -
some of them of small popula- -
ion, and it would be, Of course, widely y,
xtended and have diversified interests. =.
'ut it is better to have one district of =,
hat kind than three or four. and as :
ne is necessary somewhere in that part r.
{ the state, the one We offer is the least :,
Objectionable that we can conceive. 1t -,
7ill be seen, too, that natural boundaries r
ave been respected in this apportion- -,
lent {; the crossing of the great rivers
nd mountain ranges of the state being
vOided as far as possible, while the
estern, central and eastern sectional III
visions are preserved as carefully as
ley can he, considering the many sll
'unties of small population on the lines Io a.,
Looking to the equality of ratios it Te
III be seen that if Pennsylvania pop di:
alton of 4,2Ss ,7s6 be divided between rv
districts it would assign q ire
ito OF 1853 .G22 to each, and that no dis m ,,i
let in the appOrtionment we suggest bel
IL, <,f i. 4.