The Republican journal., 1883-02-15
Congressional Apportionment.

| THE DEBATE IN THE MAINE HOUSE ON WE'D
NEsDAY. VIEWS FROM OXFORD AND AROOS-
| TOOK.
In opposition to the majority report Of the
committee on Congressional apportionment
! the following speeches made in the Maine
House, on the 7th. will be read with interest
AN OXFORD BEARS OBJECTIONS.
| Mr.. Bearce of Norway said he was nomnaIv
a member of the committee that had the matter
| in charge, but the bill had been formed bv some
| other power than that exercised in the commit
| tee room, and presented to the committee not
| for their consideration, but for their signatures
only. His first objection to the bill was that he
did not believe it to be in accordance with the
| law or spirit OF the law under which the House
was to act. The law required the territory of
each district to be contiguous and that each dis
trlct shall contain as nearly an equal number of
| inhabitants as practicable OF the second district
| it might be said that it was contiguous in one
directions it was a few miles wide and hun
! dred miles long. He could see no Justice in
giving the second district three times the terri
tory of the first and one-SXth more inhabitants,
| when not necessary to maintain county lines
| lie moved to rccommt the BILL
\ DEFENCE OF THE COMMITTEES PLAN.
| Mr.. Heath, of Augusta. maintained that the
/ plan submitted 10y the committee was Il fair one
politically. He was not going to stultify him
| self by saying that he, as a Republican, propos-
! ed to submit to the House an apportonment
! winch would surrender the control of the State
! into the hands of the Democracy He had not
been semi here to do that, but to treat that party
fairly and equitably. On the vote of 1890, which
| he believed to be fair test for all the voters
We're out, there was divided victory. In the
! first district as proposed by the committee,
| there was q Republican majority of 43: in the
| second district there was Democratic majority
of 81; in the third (Which has Kennebec) Re
| publican majority of 11S; and in the fourth a
Democratic majority of .16. He submitted that
! the charge could not be made that the Repub-
can party had used its power to gcrrymander
! the state. Viewed politically, on the score of
fairness, he submitted that better result could
not be reached Viewed as matter of equality
Of population, following the spirit and the let
ter of the law of Congress in preserving county
I lines it could not be made more equal When
/ the question was taken he said he should call
for division of it. so that the question might
be taken separately on each district.
HOW IT LOOKS TO AROOSTOOk
Mr.. Powers of Houlton, opposed the bill. lie
stood with the gentleman from Norway Mr.
| Bearce and did not easily swallow the sugar
coated pill, as it had been styled, that had been
| prepared by party outside of the committee.
and was adopted without discussion or any at
| tempt TO get at a fair division of the State
| This was a matter in which the voice of the
| people should be heard. There We're more
ways than one to count out; more ways than
| one to >tite the voice of the people. He took
| issue with the statement of the gentleman from
Augusta Mr.. Heathl that the county is the
unit in the New England system and declared
| that the township has ever been recognized as
the unit. He discussed the rule which had
been apphed III apportiOnlng the eight south
| western counties and claimed that its obSery-
ance had been ignored in apportioning the bal
ance of the State. He also claimed that it was
the duty Of the legislature to divide the State as
near as practicable under the law. into equal
numbers Of population so that every man.
I whether hi lived III Ar0ostOok or IN tie more
/ highly favored sections of the State, might have
his fair influence in the legislation of the coun-
| try. lioW many men had been approached and
I told that If they did thus and it would not be
/ IN the interest Of the party: Many crimes had
4 been committed against liberty and free gov
/ ernment IN the name OF party cXpedcncv. But
| party tNpediency when it contlicted with right
ana justice generally led to political suicide
lie called the attention of the House to ring
rule in New York. Pennsylvania and Ohio,
and said that the people there had risen up in
/ their might and scattered the rings" like chat
before the wind. He charged that the bill I'M
| der consideration was not in the interest of the
| people. and that it had been gotten up in the
interest OF certain localities. to perpetllatc Ger
tam >tronEhoId> at the expense of the more re-
| mote portions OF the State. How many men
had been told because of hi Powers refusal
| to subscribe to this measure, that he was going
/ over 10 the Democratic party. In answer to
this charge he characterized it AZ bIisrring
! faI>ehood. and he would leave it there He
| next took up the matter of statistics. and ar
eued to show that the bill was not according to
law. or Just towards the people. He warned
| the majority that it was an outrage on fair dis
trictins. He had no plans and no desire for
/ anything but to see the State apportoned in
such manner that the people throughout the
| state might be able to get together in convcn-
tlons and have their proper proportion of intlll-
! tncr. lie closed With an earnest appeal for
justice in the matter.