The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-06-19


pie the great wrong attempted by this /
bill against those citizens with whom be /
holds a common political faith, and IL /
possible prevent coBsumation OF the out !
rage.
i. IS ONLY necessary to state the facts |
and the enormity becomes at once appa- |
rent.
Of the twenty eight-districts eight |
cen are surely Republican, seven are |
Democratic and three may be classedas |
doubtful. though of these three one Is
at present. and has heen for years. rep-
resented by a Republican. and the 9TH
er two have been carried as often in the |
last decade by that party as by any 9th
er. Regarding these districts. however,
as doubtful, the bill gives eighteen Re-
publican and seven Democratic districts.
How has this result been reached Ii
it had been reached by observing the di-
rectious of the law, or by the accident
of local situation, DO one could have
complained. 1t would have been the
fortune OF the Qainers. But it has been
arrived at only by a persistent and def
ant overriding Of all laws and rules gov
erniDg the subject. and the Injustice
stopped only when it was physically i'm
possible by greater illegality to commit
greater wrong.
VI clRHJboTf ENSpuDIlCan
eleven are below the ratio of Tepresen-
tstiou, which happens to be the exact
number of Republican over Democratic
districts. The total deficiency In these
eleven Republican districts is 21S, ,139.
Seven Republican districts are above
the ratio, OF the seYen Democratic
districts, but two are below the ratio,
while five are above it. The average
population of the seven Democratic dis
tricts is 161 746, or over 1000 above the
ratio, and of the eighteen Republican
districts Isl, 256. less number than the
ratio. That is to say, it requires on an
average, 10, 494 more people to elect
Congressman in a Democratic than a
Republican district.
In the city of Philadelphia the Sixth
district is created giving a Republican
majority of over 1000, with a popula-
tion of only la ,249, or 80, III below the
ratio while the Democratic county of
/ Berks, at present a separate district, and
| containing over 5000 more than the en-
tire Sixth district, is Joined TO Lehigh,
! another Democratic county, making a
district of 35,6O8 in excess OF the ratio,
and giving a Democratic majority of
over 10000.
In the came way the county of SchuyI-
Kill. at present Republican district, is
permitted to elect a Congressman with
a population q, 9S3 less than a ratio +;
while right adjoining it the Tenth dis
trict is created by heaping together five
Democratic counties, IL, ,026 in exces of
the ratio, giving 1000 Democratic ma
jority.
In the county of Philadelphia ingenu-
ity and illegality seem to have been ex-
hausted in the effJrt to do injustice to
the Democratic citizens of that section.
Six districts are given to that city, five
OF which are surely Republican and one
overwhelmingly Democratic. This has
been done by massing together in the
Third district, in a narrow strip along
the Delaware, seven of the eight Dem
ocratic wards of the city, making a dis.
trict of excessive Democratic majority.
and leaving the rest of the city free Ia
be divided into five equally certain Re-
; publican districts. OF the six Philadel.
phia districts, five are below the ratio
and one above it. The Sixth is 3S.7I1
, below, and the Fourth is 80, 54u above
making the difference in these two alone
y 7S, ,251. In the FIVE defective districts
the deficiency amounts to 11O. .I28. Fol
what other purpose can such ineouali.
ties and distortions haYe been devised
except to give five Congressman tc
the 100000 Republican voters of that
city, and but one Congressman to 75.-
| 600 Democratic voters
Instances might be multiplied
throughout the bill where similarly
Democratic counties are submerged in
large Republican districts, or massed to.
getber into one district so as to DESTROY
their proper distributive weight. Dis.
tricts are misshapen and inaccessible,
unequal and incongruous no regard
whatever is paid to any established rule
OF law or principle of justice tsvors
are bestowed and enemies are punished
and all these departures from right aud
law always have the same result Of in.
creasing the political power of Repubii-
can at the expense Of Democratic con-
stituencies.
To such bill am asked to give nv
approval. Anxious as l am to see the
law obeyed by an apportiOnment of the
State, will not sanction measure that
transgresses the law and attempts to fix
a glaIiDg and indefensible injustice upon
large part of the people. The Repub-
liean party in this State does not need
such MEASURE as this to secure to it
whatever prepOnderance it is entitled to
in the Federal Congress. II has 10 need
to call 20 its aid injustice and defiance
OF the law to give it its due. The great
body of citizens belonging to that party
L am sure do not ask and would not
countenance such a wrong. On the
other hand, 1 feel it to be my duty, as
the Executive of the whole people. and
In support of the rights of all of them,
to prevent, so far as l can, an act Of in
justice which is aimed at the citizens of
/ Democratic faith. Should this wrong
now succeed, it is not unlikely that in
the inevitable revolut ions that are con-
stantly occurring in our political history
| 1t may be in the future used as an argu-
ment and example for inflIcting a like
injury aud Injustice upon the party