Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-12
ESCAPED NOTICE.
A Fractional Township in the
State of Ohio.
IT WAS FORGOTTEN, BUT NOT DEAD

And Now 1t Rises Up and Gives n Lot of
TroubIe-A Gerrymander InvaIidated,
Probably. because OF an Oversight-The
Illinois Granger War on County Ohicial
salaries-Triumph of the Tiilmanites
in South Carolina-Mississippi Consti-
tution-Tinkers.
CLEVELAND, O., Sept. 1.-Two weeks
ago the Republicans announced that they
had discovered that township in Hamil-
ton county had been omitted in the redis-
tricting act passed in March, and created
temporary buzz of excitement owing to
the great political interests involved and
the fact that such an error, if made, would
necessarily invalidate the act. AS moth
Ing further was said about it, the an
nouncement was soon dismissed as a cam
paign scare. Some pertinent inquiries ad
dressed by the secretary of state 20 the
Cincinnati board of elections have revived
the eA element and developed a situation
that, besides being very curious is fraught
with great political possibilities.
Where Is Storrs Township
The secretary of state demands to know
the status of Storrs township, Hamilton
county. There is no such township on
the map. although once it included con-
siderable part of what is now the city Of
Cincinnati. But there is Storrs town
ship and its electors vote in what is off,
cially known as Riverside precinct, Storrs
township. and it elects justice of the
peace and constable. In 1869 one half,
or Whereabouts, of what then remained of
the township was annexed to Cincinnati
city and in 1887 to Cincinnati township,
80 rs to make the city and township of
Cincinnati co-eXtensive. The remaining
half was then and is now included in the
Incorporated village of Riverside, sub
urb of Cincinnati, but not township.
An Important Oversight.
1t was then the duty of the county COM
missioners to attach what remained of the
township to some other township, as it
had less than twenty-five square miles of
territory. The commissioners did not do
this and that is what has caused all the
trouble. The township territory has all
been absorbed in the corporations of Gin
cinnati and Riverside, but only one-half
of 1t has lost its township identity But
this important fact was lost sight of. and
neither the redistricting act of 1894 or
1856 took any notice of Storrs township.
The electors thereof, 200 in number, voted
in Riverside village, and the territory was
considered part of the Second congress
sional district
Forgotten, but Still in Existence.
The pdistricting act of last March
specifically names the wards and town
ships which shall comprise the two dis
tricts OF Hamilton county, but makes no
mention whatever of Storrs township Its
existence was not known to any of the
three legislatures that have redistricted
But As the remaining strip of Storrs town
ship has not been annexed to Cincinnati
or TO any other township the lawyers all
say 1t must have a township existence. and
that no districting act can be valid that
does not specifically include it. Judge
Hugh j. Caldwell, of this city. of the
state circuit court, said yesterday that if
what is admitted by all in regard 10
Storrs township is true, the redistricting
act cannot stand, and all other leading
lawyers concurred in this view
Campbell Is Investigating.
Governor Campbell reached Cincinnati
yesterday TO investigate personally the
situation. II the case is as it appears, it
will be- necessary to call an extra session
of the legislature to correct the fault, as
too much is involved to take the chances
of contest over the election of the whole
Ohio delegation in the house of represent
atives. As nearly all of the nominations
have been made by both parties, the de-
velopments have created widespread ex-
element, and the progress and outcome
of the trouble will be the principal matter
of interest in Ohio for some time to come