The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-02-23
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, D. c.,

4CU. 4Oi ASO-
The apportioomens question is &C.
cupyipg large share Of attention in
Congress, and the one thing clearly ap'
parent 50 far is that the Republicans
are chiefly intent upon finding out
how not 70 do it, or in other words
how to do it unfairly. If the purpose
was to make fair and square allot-
ueps of fixed number of Represents
sives to the whole population irrespeo-
tive of State lines it would be a simple
question of mathematics which any
average scbocl-boy could cipher out in
thirty minutes, but as the real object
is to concoct scheme whereby certain
States and the Republican party may
be benefited, to the disadvantage of
other States and other parties, the prob
lem becomes more difficult. The amend
ment to the bill under discussion pro
posed by Mr.. Beltzhoover of Pennsyl.
vania, relative to the practice of gerry
Wandering will very likely be rejected
by the Republicans A great outcry
has been made and the whole country
called to witness the outrage of the
'.Shoe-striug District as it is called
of Mississippi, which is constructed of
long line Of counties instead of mas
sing them together in the usual way.
But it has been shown that this case
is Offset by dozen others in Repub'
lican States.
Under the guidance of the sainted
Morton Indiana used to elect eight or
nine Republican members of Congress
out of thirteen, while the State went
Democratic by from 5000 to 1000
majority. In Pennsylvania the strong
Democratic counties have been massed
together so as to give the Republicans
two or three more Representatives
than sshey are entitled to, as is fairly
illustrated in the district represented
by Mr. Koltz. A Republican Legis-
lature, not content with uniting three
counties with about 1000 Democratic
majority, ran furrow through two
more, taking in 1900 Democratic
majority as they went, and then join.
ed TWO more counties with about 5000
Democratic majority, giving Mr. Koltz
an entire majority of about $500 and
a district which look like dumb bell.
No wonder it takes nearly 81 600
Democrats to elect Pennsylvania
Congressman and not $4,000 Republi-
cans to 60 and do likewise. New
York is also gerrymandered in much
the same way, and in the whole coun-
try the Republicans have an advsn
tage By this means of at least dozen
Representatives, which they will keep
if they can.
There is a general howl ic army Cir.
cles over the late appointments Of
Qasrtermaster-Ge General and Paymaster-
General, in which the hand of Arthur
was visible but the voice of Grant was
audible. General Sheridan has been
industriously log-rolling for his father
in-lsW for the last six months, but his
Jolly, commonplace face looks triae
less satisfied DOW than Q week ego at
the prospect of the fight that is to be
made in the Senate over General Ruek-
er's nomination, in which several Sena.
tors will take occasion to wound Gene
raj Rucker's feelings. cruelty. This is
really Mrs. Grants nomination. That
good but narrow minded woman has
never forgotten to be grateful to Gen.
eral Sheridan for jumping her great
stupid BOBBY Of boy, Fred Grant,
over the heads of hundreds of gray.
haired veterans and making him
Lieutenant Colonel. It. is not to be
expected that Mrs. Grant would ex.
actly appreciate the bad form, to put
it mildly, of having youugster who
had never smelt powder Lieutenant
Colonel, while men who fought all
during the war remained Captains for
twenty years, with the prospect Of
being retired as Majors !; nor did Gen.
eral Sheridan appear to, but he has
reaped the reward Of virtue in hav-
ing General Meigs retired at sixty
FIVE on accouat of age, and General
Rucker promoted at seventy.two-on
account of youth it may be supposed.
Colonel Rochester was elevated over
eleven other officers, every one Of
whom was better entitled to the Pay
master. Generalship. than he, and both
nominations are about as wildly bad
as any that we're made BY the pious
Hayes.
The bill retiring Justice Hunt was
brought forward and speedily passed
by both branches of Congress in order
that a long existing vacancy on the
Supreme Bench might be filled at
once. There were strong objections
to the measure, but they we're out
weighed by the necessity Of promptly
recruiting the Supreme Court. Ithas
now been some time since Congress
acted in the matter and since Judge
Hunt sent in his resignation. It only
remains for the President to make the
needed nominations, but he seems to
be taking things pretty slow in this
as iu all other appointments. For
reasons of his own Mr.. Arthur is sur
rounding himself with lot of old
fogies as Cabinet advisers and pursuing
a procrastinating course with reference
to public business, which is well illus,
trated in Puck's late cartoon of the