The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1885-07-18
A LIE Nailed!
How Figures Will Falsify as Ger
rynandered p" by the onida
Journal.
The Clifton District the Most Popu
lOus in the County.

In criticising the action Of the Com.
mission provided by law to re district
into Commissioner Districts, the Onida
Journal wanders long way from the
path of truth and fairness in trying to
impress upon its readers the idea that
81 an outrage" has been perpetrated by
the commission in re-districting.
The Journal wants to take the AS
SCISSORS returns as basis in the re-
districting, and right here we want to
remark that it is asserted by many that
this was a part Of the programme
to pull the wool over the eyes OF the
commission and induce them to re-dis-
trict thereon, but, be it said to their
honor, they were not misled. 1t is
reported that the assessors IN the west
part of the county were instructed to
take only those they could not miss, and
in the eastern half of the county to list
all who had ever been Mere-and the re-
suit would seem to confirm the asser-
ton.
AS an illustration we will only take
the township of Clifton, which is mag
unanimously given n population Of 70,
and which the Journal says modest
ly takes the 22nd place" in the popu-
lation of townships. The facts are that
Clifton has population Of over l30
who are living right here all the time
with over so voters-and we can sit in
our office and name and locate every
one of the number-to say nothing
about several who are holding down
claims and are here part of the time
and continuous according to land
law. If there is n discrepancy of over
so in this township, there is no reason
why there should not be the same con-
venient (just at the time when there is
an object to be gaineD deficit in mum
bers throughout the entire west end OF
the county, aggregating over 700 which
could make the population greater than
the east end of the county.
Upon the basis of the vote of last
Ill 80 .1 n .
want to take the last election. because
the west end polled the most votes
which is used in all the apportionments,
and was the only foundation for the
commission to work upon, the ) dis
| tricts as they now stand, each contain
voters rs follows:
pricincts Nos. |, =. 3 and contain
360 sections and polled 24l votes last
fall. In the present lst Commissioners
district there is 294 sections, which,
with a relative proportion of the votes
in the 1 precincts would leave 1913
votes as the district is now composed.
In the &c sections of these 4 precincts
which are now in the 2nd commission
er district, ut the same ratio of votes
to territory, there is II votes to add
to the 2nd com. dist rs now composed
In voting precincts Nos. 5, q and Z,
there are ZIG sections and 267 votes
In these voting precincts there are "a
sections which are now in the Clifton
commissioner district, No. 1, which
with 4 relative proportion OF the votes
in those precincts, leaves 67 of the
voters who are now in this commits
sloner district. There are, then, 200
left in the 2nd commissioner district
To which must be added Al votes cast
in voting precincts 3 and 1, which
gives the 2nd commissioner district
as now composed, total of PA vo
ters.
In voting precincts Nos. 3, and lo
all in range 7S, there were lS7 votes
polled last fall These precincts arr
now all in the Clifton or 4th commits
sioner district, to which must he added
the 81 sections comprising the wcs
half of townships IA, ll5 and ll6-17
with 81 votes, Il relative proportion
with the balance of voting precincts )
6 and I, where they voted last fall
which gives the Clifton COMMISSIONS
district as now composed total o
. PSI voters, the largest number Of any
district in the county.
In the two western districts, } an,
5, there are two voting precincts il