The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-08-10
Republican Hypocrisy.

This game of party politics is a curl
GUS one. Republican Journals and Re-
publican orators are thrown into
paroxysIns of indignation at what they
charactcrize as shameless gerrymander
ing in South Carolina. The object of
this gerrymandering is TO give the DEM
ocrats an advantage in eiecting mem
bers of Congress. 1t is declared to be
subyersiye OF the popular will and dam
gerous to public order to put districts
together with reference to party ad-
vantage. That this is the tendency of
such action by State Legislatures may
be admitted without hesitation. If those
who make the complaint against South
Carolina were consistent in making it
and rejected infexibly every phase of
such wrong everywhere their indict-
ment Of others and Indignation would be
entitled to the greatest consideration
and to have powerful influence But
wI.A<i Elytuous journals in Chicago shut
! - se..,,,,.z. thh most flagrant abuses of
this nature in their own State and at
their very doors and cross the continent
to find fault and inveigh against others,
they put themselves in an attitude of
hypocrisy too conspicuous and fragrant
to escape the scorn and contempt of
the fair-minded men to whom they ap-
peal. The evil and the danger of a
partisan constitution of Congressional
districts lie in making palpably un-
| natural lines for the purpose of securing
the desired supremacy of party with
in certain boundaries. Consent to any
step in this sort of work which is plain
to the understanding and common-sense
of anybody is committal to the wrong,
and is moral estoppel upon the con-
senting benefciaries from obiecting to
like action on the part of others. Now
in the name of fairness and decency,
we would like to ask any censorious
Illinois Radical what, for example, he
| thinks of the formation of the Nine
| teenth Congressional District OF that
state, composed of Hardin, Gallatin,
| White, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin,
| Jefferson, Marion and Clinton Counties ?
1t commences on the Ohio River, fifty
miles above Cairo, and extends 1875
miles northwest to within twenty-five
miles of st. Louis. 1t is more than four
times as long as it is wide. There are no
rivers, mountains, deserts or natural rea-
sons for thus forming that district. The
makers of it do not even pretend that
there are. Why was it thus madep
There is no secret about it. No Repub-
lican pretends to disguise the purpose.
That dittrict as now constituted has 16,
129 Democratic majority. The purpose
was to put as nearly all the Democratic
majorities of Southern Illinois in it as
| possible. Almost unseemly and unnat-
ural peninsula into the Eighteenth Dis
| trict is made to take in Clinton County,
which has 634 Democratic majority,
passing right by Washington, which has
1853 Republican majority. The object
| of this was to leave Morrison in dis,
trict with Republican majority, which
it was. hoped he would not be able to
overcome, and no Republican with q
| particle of self-respcct would deny the
fact. Examples of the same sort oi
work Ne afforded all over the State OF
Illinois. They are obvious to any in
| quirer who will glance at the map of the
sdistrisssS In the face of this it.is an
astonishil|4 Exhibition of moral oblfqui
ty in Kep6blican journals of Illinois
to point out similar practices IL
South Carolina and invoke the virtu
Gus Indignation of the country agains
their authors So far as one wrong
is calculated to invite and create anoth
er, this cold-blooded gerrymander in III
linois may be alleged as Il part of the
cause of similar proceedings afterwarc
in other States whose wickedness is now
held up rs being SO flagitious. Illinois
is by no means singular among Repub
lican States in this sort of work. Ohio
has recently given the country taste O
its quality in this character of part,
management New York Republican;
| have of1nnded moro ,Iaaulv in this ra