New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-27
THE APPORTTOYMENT JOB.

A lob ia the proper name for the bill which
the majority of the Assembly Committee on APP
portlonment are understood to be prepared TO
report. 1t was conceived and born III selfish
and narrow partisanship. 1t is brazen at
tempt to promote the prosperity of II political
marty by INSCRIPTIONS and indefensble legisla-
ton. II provides for the division of the State
into thirty-four districts in a manner that
would be droll were it not SO indecent in its
carefully planned injustice A glance at the
bill shows that the committee must have ar
ranged and dlsarranged the counties on the sole
theory that as many Democratic and as few Re-
publican districts as possible were to be created.
In short the measure is precisely what we have
styled it "a job.
Under the present system of apportionment
the counties below High Bridge have in the ag-
gregate eleven congressman. This JOO pro-
poses to give them fourteen-fourteen out OF
thirty-four. What does the interior OF the
State say to thatf Is it "a fair divide " to as
sign nearly one-half of the entire Congressional
delegation to the metropolis and its suburbs
and constructive annexes7 Writing upon this
subject year ago, when the job of last session
which failed to become n law because Of the
quarrel of the Democratic factions-was up for
discussion, we called attention to the significant
fact that so impressed were intelligent and
patriotic students of our governmental system
with the improperly Of massing so much Con-
gressional strength in few counties that, III
response to their wishes, proposition was in
treduced in the Constitutional Convention OF
1s72-'73 looking to anlamendment to theConst-
tuition placing limit upon the Congressional
representation from the counties OF Now YORK
and Kings The Buffalo Courier, the leading
organ of Democracy In the western part oil the
State, has argued from time to time that the
city of Buffalo should constitute the extra Con-
gressoDal district, and that the rest OF Erie
County, which at present goes with Buffalo to
make the XXXIId District, should form part OF
another district. The Courier was moved to
character ize the bill of last year, so far as 1t re-
lated to certain of the western districts, as ar
bitrary and unjust" We wonder if 1t will DO bet
ter pleased with this bill, which tears ward ont
of Buffalo for the purpose of adding it and the
Republican towns of Erie County to Demo
cratic Niagara Whatever may DO the atti-
tude of 1he Courier or of other Democratic news
papers, the Democratic Assembymen from the
interior, if they wise in their generation,
place the claims of locality above those of party,
which provides for making the metropolis and
its surroundings unduly powerful at the ex-
pense OF the rural districts.
Our contemporary states that the Congress
sional districts for this city have not yet been
carved out, but that the member of the APP
portionment Committee TO whom that duty
was assigned is proceeding on the theory
of the greatest good to the greatest
number-of Democrats. The bill in this
particular is not likely, therefore, to be any i'm
provement upon the bill of last session, and in
that one, it will be remembered, Newly York
was divided in manner which was simply gro
tesaue in its injustice. The eight metropolitan
districts were so gerrymandered that in only one
of them could the Republicans fairly rely upon |
electing their candidate for Congress. Initial |
ing the tactics which in the present bill join to-
gether such Republican strongholds as ST. Law |
renee and jefferson, two of the strongest Re- |
publican Assembly districts were placed in the |
one concededly Republican Congressional dis |
trict. Several Of the Other.Republican Assem-
bly, districts were divided-one indeed was fairly |
hashed up--in order to carry ont the scheme OF |
advancing the fortunes of the Democracy. The |
present bill may do better than this; it cannot |
well do worse without blotting out of existence |
all the Republican Assembly districts IN the |
city.
There are features of cognate interest in the |
bill of this year which we need not stop to point
out. But it improves upon its predecessor in at
least one particularly does not separate Rens-
selaer from Washington. The bill of last YER
made district of Rensselaer, and Columbia, and
grouped Washington, ESSEX, Saratoga and
War; en- together for the XXIst District. The
job of s3 has not yet been reported to the Assem-
bly. There is yet time for those who put 1t up
to think twice before they endeavOr to impose
it upon their felow-members. Will they do it'll
We can assure them of one thing-unless
Grover Cleveland is an altogether different man
from what he has been represented by those
who know him best and trust him most, he
cannot be induced to sign any such measure in
which the right of the people to honest repre-
sentation is defeated by the arts OF tricksters
and demagogues.