Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-02-16

Hhi'H tfHuF 10 !aNlcu forever 20 mauy
barnacles Oh the government. They
insist that the first and most important
step toward true civil service reform
Is in cleaning out the departments Of
the favorltcs who owe their positions
not to merit. but to family influence.
Ma BELTznooyER, the able and
indeiatigablc Representative in Con.
gress from the Carlisle district. has a
pending amendment to the apportiou.
ment bill requiring States to be reds.
trictcd without gcrrymandcring. Ga
this fair and honest proposition, he
made a speech on Monday last, for q
brief report of which we are indebted
TO the correspondent Of the Philadcl.
phia Tine, a. follows
Mr.. Bellzhoover was Of the opinion
that II this could be accomplished 1t
would be more important and efficient
IN securing just representation to the
people than any measure which has
ever been enacted. There had been a
great deal Of eaEncst contention about
the loss of single representative in a
few Of the States. Bat what difference
would II make to the great Common.
wealth of PennsylVania whether SLe
gets twenty eight or twenty. mem.
bers, II her Legislature can 30 distribute
the number as practically to disfran.
chtse one-halt Of her citizens and leave
them without representation This
unfair distribution Of members h.. said
the speaker. no new olTense in the ser.
vile satrap of the modern boss. No re-
speCt is paid In the ratio of Representa-.
tIon or the cUnuguity Of territory. Coun.
ties are torn into fragments and dutri.
sutcd by townships and half townships
10 meet the eXigcncies Of the yi.cst
partisan frauds Counties widely sepa.
rated are joined by narrow strlrs Of land
running through intervening counties.
and thus connected. are called coutiru.
Gus territory and erected into districts.
Take the Eleventh district in Pcnnsyl
vania. Here three Democratic counties
are taken in one section, all contiguous
and contalning about 1000 Democratic
majority. Not satisfied with swallowing
up this large surplus Of the minority
the leaders want more, and while there
is abundant contiguous territory they
do not take il, Tut run a marvelously
constructed line over the two large in.
teaeniug counties, Wrestling therefrom
in the passage twenty and one e.half
townships, containing 500 Democratic
majority, 30 as To strike and take in two
other large Democratic counties, with
3,00l Democratic majority.
Thus we have, continued the speak
or, n district, without parallel in the
famous history Of fraudulent apportion.
mept, in the shape Of a dumb bell
gathering up in its peculiar seTpentine
contiguous area about nine thousand
Democratic majority. This district, as
il appears in the political text book, |
composed of FIVE counties end parts of
two counties, is bad enough. but as IL
appears on the map and 10 the people /
of the State ii il the masterpiece of that |
matohless band Of political nspirators |
who have run the mschine in Pennsvl. |
vania for years and before whose sublime |
genius for fraud their feeble imitatoTs /
In all the other States grow green with 4
envy. 1t is the ideal which delights /
the dreams Of the machine man as he 1
contemplstes IL by day and the fetish /
before which he bows at night in adora. |
ton of the marvellous work Of his mas.
ter.hsnd. The Tenth district is another |
interesting work Of the great gcrryman.
derer's hand. There we have two large /
contiguous counties with sufficient |
population for = district with 6 600 Dem. |
ocratic majority. They are not satisfied |
with that, but 20 over into an adjoining |
county and wrest therefrom eleven |
townships, containing 1900 Democratic |
majority, and attach these to the dis |
tTict, already large enough, making il |
run above the ratio, and with 5000 |
Democratic majority. This Is done 60 |
that the remainder of the county,
which il otherwise Democratic. from |
which the eleven townships are taken,
may become Republican, and being at. /
taehed Ia lie adjoining county may se. /
cure Republican Congressman from
what would otherwise have been q fair |
Democratic district. How a. these |
things affect the representation o, she /
great Commonwealth In which they are
I'm 1850 the Democratic party polled /
407, ,41S votes and elected seven mem.
- - a. 4 a