Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-08-08
aancaster fntPlligP1lrer.
EVENING, AUG. 8. 1888.
DOn't Surrender.

BY the close of the present week the
Democratic members Of the Legislature
should be able to ascertain finally wheth,
er or not the Republicans are determined
to obstruct every effort to secure an hon
est, just and true apportionment. Thus
far they have receded nothing from their
4" ultimatum." They have offered moth
ing and have shown no willingness to
accept anything nearer just apportion-
ment than they agreed to give at the
regular session, which we believe is a
division of the state that will give the
Democrats eight sure congressional dis.
tricts, with a chance Of carrying one or
two more. We have all along maintain
ed that the Democrats should stay at
Harrisburg until they have given the
opposition every opportunity to carry
out the constitutional mandate to make
an apportionment. We are still of that
mind. But when the last resort is ex.
hausted and the Republicans finally as
sumo the responsibility for the failure,
then let the issue he carried to the peO-
pie.
There are probably some short sighted
Democrats who think the responsibility
for the extra session rests with their
party, and can only he ended by the
consent of the House to any sort of ap-
portionment-the McCracken bill, or
some immaterial modification of it
that the Senate may now see fit to &C.
cept. This view is as short sighted as
it will be fatal.
The Democrats could have had an un-
fair appOrtionment without an extra
session. They could have had ten con.
gressmen without it. TO accept these
now will be a confession of weakness,
and will load them with the responsible
ty of requiring useless expenditure OF
public money.
In offering the Republicans an appor-
tionment which gives the Democrats
only eleven districts, the Democratic
members of the House went to the very
limit of libers.lity and concession of their
rights. More than this they will not
he justified before the people and their
party III surrendering.
They have maintained that at least
this measure of representation is their
right. They have sat for weeks making
this contention with the Senate. 1t is
one that they can defend before Tic
people. They can assail the Senate witt
justice and vigor of it fails to give it tc
them. 1t would be pusillanimous tC
abandon their demand for it. WheI
the decision of the Senate is be-
lieved by the majority of the House
to be final, let them adjourn tll'
issue to The people. We trust to see th'
Democrats of the Legislature act unite d
ly to the end. We see that Il few O
them have already voted for adjourn
ment, under their conviction that a fai
appOrtiOnment cannot tie had. Whe!
the same conviction is reached 10y th'
majority of the Democratic legislator
let the whole body of them act upon It
but let rs not have the mountain iab0
Will ohiy d hOusC w "ho" ioi IL. LIZ
us rather seek before the people tn,
overthrow OF the Republican party: as ;
result of lis representatives persistent
refusal to lo their duty as commando
by the constitution a result that viii
fully justify the cost Of the extra session
which will then have demonstrated tht
faithleSSneSS to their CatfS of the Re
publican senators.