Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-18
Aatlraster frltellige1lcer.
EVENING. JULY le. .ees
A Fl.lnsy Argument.

EEmSy Argument
Senator Lee is reported as having
made speech on the apportiOnment in
the Legislature yesterday, in which he
argued that the Republicans of Pennsyl
yania ought to have a majority of the
congressional delegation from this state
far in excess of their relative vote, be-
cause the wealth and intelligence of
the United States are represented by a
belt about four hundred miles wide, ex
tending from ocean to ocean and situated
in the temperate zone," and the Repuo'
licans control this; while the Demo
cratic party, on the other hand. receives
its support from "a limited belt within
the torrid zone" If the facts were as
stated by Senator Lee, his conclusions
would not follow them. His argument
is the old one that 1.-THE earth is the in
heritauce of the saints. and we are the
saints" "The belt of states" in this
country which may with some reason
be counted as of controlling influence,
occupying the central geographical posi-
tion and the conservative balancing in
fluence in political, social and CONNER
cial life of the country, reaches from the
Atlantic to the Mississippi, and consists
of Connecticut, New York, New Jer
sey, Maryland. Pennsylvania, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon
sin. They contain half the popu.
alton, most of the leading cities,
three.fOurths of the developed mineral
wealth and of the agricultural, railroad
and other great business enterprises
of the country. And yet there is not
one of them that has not come to be
fairly debatable, and as whole they are
more than likely in the next presl'
Dental contest to cast the majority OF
their votes for the Democratic candl
date. As matter of fact at the last
election for congressman this " belt OF
states" chose Sc Democratic to 81 Repub
lican congressman /; and this, too, upon
apportiOnments made generally by Re
publican Legis atures. What becomes,
in view of this, Of Senator Lees Phar-
lsaical, if not Pecksniflian argument ?
Having admitted that in his scheme
to district the state he would be guided
by partisan interests rather than the
direction of the constitution, 1t was
superfiuOus, if not inconsistent, for the
honorable senator to make further apol
ogy for his support of the proposed Re
publican gerrymander 10y repeating the
assertion of his party that the state can
not be divided into compact, contiguous
and equal congressional districts SO rs tC
give the Democrats fair representation
according to their share of the vote. We
insist that it can, and map prepared
by Mr.. George Morgan, of the House
makes dstricting of the state which
gives the Democrats fifteen congressional
districts to thirteen for the Republicans
and on this plan there are no greater
extremes of population than in the Nc
Cracken bill, and no such misShaper
districts as appear in that or the Stewart
measure.
Without any division of counties
such as defOrms the present appOrtiOn
ment, without any greater extremes thai
mark the McCracken bill, the state Cal
be divided so as to give the Democrats ;
majority of the districts. Nobody ha
seriously asked this :; the Democrats
have offered to take far less, and to &C
cept even the unjust proposition of JOIN
Stewart, the late Independent leader
Panoplied with the righteousness ant
justice of their position they can easily
afford to go into the campaign on the
apportionment issue as it now stands.