Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-26
REINFORCEMENT.
Need Of State Census to Rectiy the
Wrong

The Fort Worth GAyErris In AN able
editorial has brought prominently to
the front the subject of rcappor-
tionment Of the state. Its arguments
and reasoning are sound, and the idea
Will NOT die with THE GAxErrR's
advocacy. The ball having
been put In motion every paper In Gen.
trial and West Texas owes II TO its sec.
ton TO keep the ball rolling on, Lay.
ing aside the subject OF Increased pop
ulation, and the remarkable growth of
certain sections, which would have
thrown our superintendent all out Of
equilibrium had II been lust In The
first place. we will go back to the
apportionment under the census Of
1880 and show Its radical inilH-
tice, at least to Central Texas.
The superintendent OF congressional
districts at that time was made for the
benefit OF men, without regard to the
best interest OF either the state, or tho
Democratic party. The First district
was carved out for the benefit Of Stew
art. and the Seventh for Finley; Hub
bard, also, had TO bAvc one; also,
Throckmorton; at the same time II
WAS necessary 10 save Reagan, Mills,
Culberson and Weliborn. This
forced the most incongruous elements
together, cut the state In the most
| grotesque shapes, and made the popu-
| lation In different districts bear no
relative proportion. Mr.. Reagan. rep
resenting u line Of counties extend
Ing from the Brazos to the Sab
Inc, forced into tho shape Of a stile by
the necessity to provide Stewart on
the south aud Hubbard ON the north
of him, and cut down to $4,000 less
population than the district repre-
scented by MIR. Hancock, Although "
was known that the counties In his
district were standing dormant, grow
ing little In population or wealth,
while Hancock's district includes the
growing, progressive young counties oil
West Texas and the iloulishing cities
of San Antonio and Austin, Han
cock and Mills, though In the most
rapidly growing portion of the state
were given the big districts, Will,
Reagan and Ochiltree's districts
tGough embracing more dead countie,
| than any other portion of the state
were made the smallest, excluding, ol
course both as to size and rapidity o
growth, the Eleventh, Lanham's dis
trict.
Another curious fact Is observabl,
In the manipulation of these districts
that they ARE so arranged as TO Civ,
all tho congressman To East Texas
The Bra2os may safely be taken as TIN
center OF population OF the state, II
, fact by car, fdl calculation the censu
: of 1880 makes the center Of population
. OF the state between Mcxia and Waco
then taking the divide between Tia
( BRACES and Trinity IA the center lin
, of population, anu we find nine OF on
1 congressman coming from east of tina
line, and two only west OF IL. \ start
+, ling fact, but no lcss true; tim
/. one-half of the state REPRESENTING
I under the census Of 80, over 5000
9 people, aud now possibly milllo
and a quarter, las only two represel
tatives In congress. The great vale
Of the Brazos, representing posslbl.
more than any other section the POI
=, untion. wealth, industry and pr
, duclive portion of the state, contain
y ing half million OF souls; and givln
o to the world bale Of cotton FOR ever.
: soul, besides nearly all heHugar raise
i. In the state, as well az "A large porto
o OF the wool and cattle, an
" yet this great mine OF wealth
n this beehive OF industry, has not
n single representative In the lowe
d house of congress. With these fact
ii before us, has not Central Texas I'll
right 10 he dissatisfied, 10 complain ,
T. Injustice done her? And when "
consider the thousands that hav
A. peopled the plains Of the West, an
n swollen villages into towns and citit
r. since 1850, do the facts not cry
thunder tones for n reapportiopment
Let THE GAZETTE make the gallnt