Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-26
lancaster Fntellige1lrer.
rHURspAY EVENING, JULY 20. 1859.
Worse Than None.

worse Than NOnes
Thus far the sympathy and support OF
the people of the state are entirely with
the Democratic position on the appor-
tionment at Harrisburg. The Demo
Gratis offered to do the fair thing at the
regular session and it was refused for
the failure Of apportionment tEen the
Republicans were responsible. The gov
ernor then manfully met his duty by
calling the extra session. During its
progress the Democrats have fortified
and strengthened their position, and
have thrown upon the opposition all the
responsibility of its failure thus far by
asking no more and conceding no less
than an honest, just and true apportion
ment. They are justified before their
party in maintaining this demand until
the snow comes, and in exhausting every
constitutional and parliamentary process
tC have it satisfied. In this course they
do their simple duty to the state, whose
constitution they have sworn to support,
to their party and to the governor.
But this does not include in the
slightest degree any such misconception
of their duty as seems to obtain in some
quarters which are supposed to reflect
Democratic sentiment. A few people
seem to be inoculated with the idea that
any conclusion reached on appOrtiOn-
ment will be vindication Of the COVER
nor and his party. Not so. A bad ap
portIonment, an unfair and unjust one,
one like or no better than the existing
division of the state, will be miScar-
riage that will make the extra session
abortive. Such an apportionment could
have been had without it.
The agreement of the conference COM
mittees upon a judicial apportionment
bill seems to have been induced more
by desire to reach an agreement than
to secure fair and lawful apportion-
ment. This apportionment has not been
the subject of partisan dispute, and the
difficulties in the way of making it have
been local rather than political, though
the Democrats Of the House have gener-
ally stood up against some special fea-
lures of it, which that resolute and clear
headed lawyer, Mr. Mcdowell Sharpe,
has opposed as unconstitutional and i'm
proper. We do not observe that these
have been cured by the bill agreed upon
by the conference committee. On gen
eral principles an increase in the pro
posed unduly large number of judges in
the state is to be viewed with suspicion :;
yet the new apportionment provides for
eighty, an increase of six, notwithstand-
ing the additional law judge of North
ampton and one of the present judges in
Schuylkill are dispensed with. Whether
the latter feature is wise, we can hardly
judge, in view Of the peculiar conditions
of Schuylkill county, but it has always
been wonder why Northampton should
have two judges, when Lehigh, Bucks
and Montgomery, neighboriny counties,
of about equal or greater population
each get along with one.
The most inexcusable district ap-
proved 10y the conference committee is
that made up of Wyoming and Sullivan
counties, with population, together, of
23,671 whereas they might easily be
distributed among the other judicial dis
tricts of that section. Beaver, with
only 39,6O5 population, is made separate
district; Adams, with 80 ,455 population,
instead of being joined with York-two
judges being ample for the consolidated
district-is Joined with Fulton, a county
which it does not touch by twenty miles
distance. 1t is difficult to justify these
features Of the bill, and We entertain
grave doubts whether they will he ap
proved by the Democratic House. which
is already on record SO emphatically
against some of them.