Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-11
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY IL, 1890.
The Maior,ty-southern outrages.


The Maiority-Southerr Outrages.
There are noble Democratic journals in
Che Northwest which never fail 10 excori-
ate the hypocritical Republicans OF that
section when they begin to pirate about the
attempts of the Democrats in Washington
% tie the hands of the majority" or
about the outrages which il is charged the
southern people are in the habit of perpe-
frating upon the negroes in their midst.
The Mt. Pleasant Uowa) Free Press is one
of the fearless papers of which we speak.
That paper truly says that If Mississippi
had enacted law giving Democratic
counties with 5000 population the same
representation as Republican counties
with $1,000 population it would at once
have been heralded as an outrage requiring
Immediate investigation and adjustment.
The United States senator from such q
6tate, elected under such conditions, would
never be received as a member OF that body.
What the Free Press alludes to is the ap
portionment law of Iowa. under which IT
is next TO impossible for the Democrats to
secure control Of the State, because ID or
der 10 get majority in the Legislature
they must get two thirds of the popular
vote.
Iowa has eight Republicans TO three
Democrats In her delegation in the national
House of Representatives. These repre-
sentatiyes are now in Washington de-
ploring the attempt OF the minority" to
rule the majority" What hypocritos.
Their own State furnishes bogus congress
men enough to turn the Democratic House
of Representatives into a Republican
body. The State is first so districted for
the election of members Of the Lee
gislature as to render it impossible
for the Democrats to maintain their rights
there. and then, having by fraud and CHI
canery and cheating obtained control OF
the Legislature, this latter body districts
the State for the election OF congressman
30 as TO make their rascally work as eTcc-
tive in Washington rs at the State capital
Thus il appears that the present condi-
ton of the national House of Representa-
lives is due TO cheating i'll Iowa and Ohio.
If those two States had been so districted
as to permit the Democrats TO elect their
fair share of membersin the national House
OF Representatives. REED would never have
been Speaker, and the Democrats would
now be in control of that body. So it APP
pears that the outrageous rulings of REED
are magnifed into an intolerable wrong
by the fact that he owes his Office to the
trickery and villainy of the Republic
cans of Iowa and Ohio. We need not
Snclude New York. in which State the
Democrats are entitled to nearly. if not
uuite, twice as many Democratic men,
beers of the national House of Representa-
tives as she was allowed to elect under the
rascally apportionment made bv the Re
publican Legislature of that State.
But let us return TO Iowa. The Mt.
Pleasant Free Press, speaking Of the last
election in Iowa, says:
THE Republicans carried districts whose
aggregate population is 7s3 1853. The Demo-
cratic districts contain 1s7.443 population
an excess of the Republican districts. On
q fair basis this excess is entitled 10 ten
representatives. But for the gerrymander
of the State. the Democrats, carving Just
the counties they did carry, would have
had ffty-fve members in the House and
the Republicans forty-five This would
give the Democrats control III JOINT con-
vention and would secure Democratic
United States senator. The Republicans
have simply stolen their advantage and
they are fearful that the Democrats will
claim their own"
From the same paper we cut list of
nine Democratic aud nine Republican dis
tricts, each of which is represented in the
State Legislature by one member of the
lower house. We add the population of
each district.