The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-12
The Onto derry mnnier.

Tho Democrats In the Ohio Legislature
continue their hiRh.handed outrages on the
rights Of the minority. The redislrlcting
bill on Thursday became a law, and no
Republican wss allowed to enter hIa protest
or 10 give any reaaons for the faith that
was in him. The caucus was the mott, Q
power and the previous question was the
machine by which this was accomplished.
Debate was shut eff and the bill put
through under the crack OF the caucup
whip.
The Democratic intention Is to gobble
twelve oithe districts and leave the Rspub.
licans nine. But tho result will not be
what these sansulns gentlemen expect.
There was no necessity for redistricting
Of the State. II Is true that Republican
Legislature had the districts 80 arranged
that under ordinary circumstances they
would have had majority in the delega.
ton. But that the old arrangement Of the
districts was not IN outrage on the rights
OF the minority is shown by the Tact that
in "tidal wave" year the Democrats
elected two-lhirds Of the delegation; and IS
State majorities are constantly shifting, 1t 10
fair to presume that the old arrangement
Of districts was about as equal division as
conld have been made.
In Ohio the rule has been that when the
dominant partyin the Legislature changes
the districts in what seems to be an unfair
or unnecessary manner, the people have
defeated their object. In 1872 the Repub-
licans iedislricted the State 60 as 10 get
thirteen Of the Congressman, leaving the
Democrats seven. The next year the Dem.
ocra!s elected Governor and Legislature,
and OF tho next Congressional election they
elected thirteen Of the twenty members.
In 1878 the Democrats departed from &C.
tablished custom and districted the State
in The middle Of a decade; the people
overturned their work a! the polls, and the
mex. year elected Republican Governor
aud Legislature. The same result followed
the Republican gerrymander Of 1882, and
thosame result will follow tho present &C.
ton Of the Ohio Legislature. The people
will not stand such nonsense.
sfs The "district over the river" is now
split in two. Jefferson and Harrison
countiea are thrown in with Carroll,
Columbiana and Mahoning, and the dis
trict has Republican majority ofover
5000, with no member OF Congress at
present residing within her limits. The
other three counties, Belmont, Guernsey
and Noble, are thrown in with Washington
and Monroe. This district, according to
the vote Of last year, has about 1900
Democratic minority. But larger majorities
than that have been overcome, and will be
again. Gen. A. J. Warner md Col. ]. D.
Taylor are the present membern from that
district, and they will probably be pi,.ed
against each other at the coming election.
There is good reason for believing that
Colonel Taylor can overcome the Demo-
cratic majority. This is a Presidential year,
and his party will be organized and san
guine. The people will resent the redis-
tricting Of the State at an unuaual and un-
necessary time. The wool-growers OF the
district will have just cause to be incenssd
a! the Democratic Congress, which will
not only refuse to restore the old tariff rate
but will attempt to make the rate still
lower, or put wool on the free list. The
manufacturing interests OF the district will
have the came ground Of complaint. Last
but not least the Republicans Of the dis.
trict are united, while the Democrats are
greatly troubled in mind in several locali-
ties, notably in the dark hills OF Monroe"
Thereare other districts Of the State where
the Democratic majority is stillsmaller, and
where the Democrats are likely to be eur.
prised whom the yotos are counted out,
ind tits probably sale to predict that more
than half Of tho next Ohio delegation TO
Congress will be Republicans. So mote
Il be! 80 i.-s