Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-10-17


average Democratic majorities in eacf
district is l, 4S5, by which in this bill
Republican majorities are buried up tt
the extent of 22,275. Tie several dis
tricts lack Sill of having an equa
number of inhabitants in each district
and ,485 of being equal on their polit
ical majorities as required by the join
conference The bill advocated by tht
Republicans of the House at the regular
session was nominally 10 to Is
Though If we accept the logic of history
the Indiana and Lackawanna district:
are practically Democratic, and are now
represented in Congress by Democrats
The population of the Is Republican
districts, 2,S44,302; average popula
ton in each Republican district, 15S,
los; majorities in Is Republican dis
tricts, 1855; average Republican ma
jorities, 4,3O9. Population in 10 Dem
ocratic districts, l,437,752; average
population in Democratic districts
l43, ,775; majorities in 10 Democratic
districts, ALAG; average Democratic
majority, Aha. Excess of the Repub
lican majorities in each district ovel
Democratic average only 285 for each
district, coming 1900 votes nearer the
rule laid down by the Conference Com.
mittee than did the Nicholson bill.
will next consider the Democratic
House bill of the special session, which
processes to be l2 Democratic and 16
Republican, but which is hardly Is
Republican to 13 Democratic. In NO
sense can the counties comprising the
Seventeenth district be called q fair or
safe Republican district. This district
is composed of the counties of Juniata,
Mi0iin, Huntingdon and Franklin. In
1874, on the Congressional vote, they
gave 1887 Democratic majority; in
1876, $50 Democratic majority; in 1878,
227 Democratic majority; in 1880 gave
only 10 Republican majority, and in
1882 gave 506 Democratic majority.
Now, l submit that it is not frank, fair
or honest to pretend to offer US bill
which you say is l6 Republican to IL
Democrat, and yet one of the so-called
Republican districts has gone Demo
cratic four times out of five by good,
strong majorities. But again, for the
sake of the argument, let US call it IL
to l6 and see how it comes up to the
requirements of the act of Congress
and the resolution of the Conference
Committee. Population of the social
ed Republican districts, 2,498, ,08O
Average population in Republican dis
tricts, 1856, $50. Excess over Congress
sional ratio, 1924. Population in 12
Democratic districts, 1,7Sl,84 Aver.
age population in Democratic districts,
l4S,S47 Average deficiency in each
Democratic district, 4,459; excess Of
population of the Republican over
Democratic districts, 7,643; Republi.
can excess in sixteen districts, l22, ,288,
or nearly enough for a member of Con.
gress.
This is the bill that since the month
of July has been hanging in Conference
Committee and which the Republican
Senators have antagonized with their
bill, to which l will now call the at.
tention of the House The Senate bill,
which the House declines to accept, is
supposed to be Is Republican and 10
Democrat, yet, if We take things as
they are, it might more properly be
called 16 Republicans II Democratic
The population of the eighteen Re-
publican districts is 2,759,525; ratio for
member of Congress, 1872, 946; average
population in each Republican district,
I52,20l
Population in 10 Democratic districts. 52l III
Average population In each Democratic
Republican majorities in IS districts . 50 i57
Average Republican majorlties per district 4.Gl9
Democratic majorItieS In 10 districts. - 272
Average Democratic maloritieS. ........... 4,527
Republican excess of population over
Democratic in each Congressional dis.
trict being only 81; Republican excess
of majorities in each district over Dem
ocrats being only 90
Now, | venture the prediction that
no other bill can be framed dividing
the State into 90 districts which makes
the average of them all so nearly alike
The act of Congress says that the dis.
tricts shall be as nearly equal in inhab-
itants as practicable. No bill has been
suggested which can pretend to rival
this in the equality of the population OF
the respective districts. The resolution
of the Joint Conference declares that
the majorities of the respective districts
of one political party shall be as nearly
equal as practicable. Can any other
bill offered at any time rival this in the
rare equality Of majorities? More than
all this, it comes up squarely to the
doctrine of what an apportionmen1
should be as laid down by Governor
Pattison in his recent message
The Army Idea OF a Gentleman
A case has just been published which
reveals the existence among army Off
GERS Of peculiar standard of gentle
manly conduct. A Lieut.. Simpson
who had been living in Illicit relations
for several years, married the person
He was forthwith brought before {
court martial, found guilty of "conduc
unbecoming On officer and a gentle
man." and sentenced to dismissal from
the service. The Judge Advocate
General Swain, in reviewing the sen
tence recommended to the President t.
set it aside, as the act for which tn
lieutenant was condemned appeared t.
be the only honorable one he had dom
in the premises. 1t is likely the Presi
dent will take the same view.
1t is somewhat singular that tn
sausage season begins just as the dol
days end.
Texans do not believe that tn
longest way round wire fence is tn
nearest way home.
! The late Judge Black owed muc
of his force of language to his fami
iarity with the Old Testament