The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-06-19
A STRONG VETO MESSAGE.
To the Honorable the Senate Of Pc!


my objections Senate bill No. 73, enti-
tied IAN act to organize and define the
Congressional districts Of Pennsylva-
MA"
The act of Congress of February 25,
1882, fixes the number Of Representa-
tives to which Pennsylvania shall be
entitled in the Federal Congress at
twenty-eight. It also provides that
tn ese twenty eight Representatives
"shall be elected by districts composed
of contiguous, territory and containing
as nearly as practicable the same num-
beI of inhabitants, " and that no district
shall elect more than one Representa-
tive. 1t will thus be seen that the law
lays down three rules to be observed in
the formation of Congressional districts
to wit that the districts shall be sin
gle, that they shall be composed of con-
tigious territory, and that they shall be
as faT as practicable equal in population.
To these rules there is to be added an
other arising from the spirit of our
State Constitution upon the subject of
apportionmsnt, and from the accepted
principles OF fairness and public conve-
nience, and that is that the districts
shall be formed Of territory that shall
be reasonably compact as well as conti-
portant, some are vital. A bill which
transgresses any of them at once chal-
lenges investigation, and unless the
transgressiOn Is shown to have been in
dispensable and for the purpose of Sc
curing some essential principle OF fair
ness and justness. TIE bill should not be-
come law. or these rules, the one re-
quiring single districts is a purely arbi-
trary direction of the Federal Congress,
and has been followed in the bill before
me. The Euies as to the territory being
contiguous and compact are founded on
public convenience, and are intended to
prevent political Injustice and sinister
designs in .he detachment of territory
The direction that the population OF the
districts shall be as nearly equal as prac-
ticable contains the vital principle of
popular representation, undeTlies the
theory of our institutions, and is as the
breath of our liberties.
The bill herewith returned violates
each Of the last two rules in the most
fragrant and unjustifable manner. 1t
abounds in injustice aid is built upon
contemptuous illegality. Proceeding in
an undertaking purpose of unfairness.
it disfranchises hundreds OF thousands
of our people to give unlawful power to
others. 1t overrides i'll the relentless
ness of its manifest purpose alike the
plain dictates of common Justice and
the clear commands of the law. The
startling fact to the miud OF the Execu-
tive is that so little effort has been made
to cloak the nakedness of its enOrmities
In illustrating the defects of meas
ure. where so many exist, it is difficult
to know what to select and what to
omit. A statement of few of the
toni oo1 nv,1
peTpetTated by the bill will Sufficiently
show its unfair and illegal nature. A
full statement in detail would unneces-
Sarily lengthen this communication.
Dividing the whole population OF
pennsylvania by twenty-eight, the num-
| Der OF Congressman to which the State
| is entitled, we obtain 152, $50 as the ra-
I ito for each Congressional district. The
| law thus fixing this as the number OF
| people entitled to elect representative
/ In Congress, and bearing in mind the
command that the districts shall be as
nearly as possible equal in population
let us see how tie trainers of this bill
have observed the legal rules laid dewu
for their guidance
OF the twenty-eight districts formed
! by the bill, the population OF a majori.
ty, or fifteen Of them, falls below the
ratio. The total deficiency of popuIa-
tiou in these fifteen districts is 286 923
or more than $4,000 in excess of the pop
ulation of the Sixth and Twenty sixth
districts, which are each given a Con
gresham, and very nearly equal to two
full ratios. The largest district in pOint
OF numbers is the Twenty fifth which
contains 194. 149, or Il .189 more than 8
ratio. The smallest district is the Sixth
which contains ia $40, or SO. I'll les
than ratio. The difference betweer
the two districts is T9, 900, or more thar
one half full ratio. The average def
cheney in the fifteen districts named j,
10, 121. Six of the districts are eacl
more than 10000 below the ratio thre,
are more than $4,000 two more thar
10000; one more than 25. 600 one NOR,
than 10000, and one more than 35 OOt
below.
The average excess in the thirteer
districts above the rate is % 674. Sew
en- are each over 10000; one over Is.
600; one over 25. 600; one over 40 OO0
Two each over 30, 900, and one over 40
UOO above. The total excess in thes,
thirteen districts, representing The nnm
Der of people virtually 0isfrauchissf
therein, is 286 662. OF nearly two fu1
ratl0s. The average population of the
fifteen defective districts is 133 $40 and
the average population of the thirteen
districts IN excess is 165 034, this making
the average disparity ia the two classes
Al. 195. '"'''0'
The Fifth, Sixth, Twelfth. Tbjrteenth
ttteenth, and Twenty-sixth districts
together contain 10. 600 less than five
ratios, and are given six Congressman
while the Fourth, Eleventh. Twenty
second and Twenty eighth districts con.
tain over six full ratios, and are given
only I've Congressman. That is to saw.
1t requires six ratios Of people in one
section to elect five Representatives.
Whl.e i've ratios only are required in
another section to elect six Representa-.
/ tives. In other words, the greater class
/ of people are deprived of a Congress
man to which they are entitled to give
a less number of people Congressman
/ to which they are not entitled.
| There are FIVE districts each of which
| contains $50. 900. and FIVE each contain
| ing less than 130 600.
Philadelphia has one district with
1913, 600, and right along side of and
touching this, one with less than I15.
| 600.
The TweEty-ffth district. composed
of the counties of Indiana, jefferson
stmoreIand and Armstrong, contains
over 194, QUO, while the Twenty. sixth
district, immediately adjacent, conta ins
| less than 120, 900.
These are a few of the conspicuous in
| equalities OF this bill, framed under the
Jaw az Congress, which commands thai
districts shall as nearly as possible no
equal in population.
Finding these Inconsistencies and in
fractions of the law nprvadsn,, ~ -.