The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1890-01-15
REDIsTRrcTING.
Shall The Comfy be Redistricf-
eds-fs Ia In the Interest OF
The lseople To Have il D0ne2

J ed2-Es IL In the Interest OF
HE l,eoisle To Have il Done?
-hr. Editor: Now we have prop
osition to redistrict the county
that is entirely change the bounda-
ries OF the MagisteriaI Districts in
to which it is at present divided
Certainly in these days of gerry
Wandering. it is we'll enough to
have some agitation regarding an
issue of bonds, or something else.
and just now it seems that the prop
osition to redistrict the county is re-
ceiving considerable attention. I
find that goodIy number of our fell
low citizens arein favor oft though
in tue political nomenclature of the
day, they agive no figures" when
INTERCEPTED as to its advantages.
This l presume is due to the fact
that none can be given.
As a matter of history, little in
vestigation relative to our existing
Districts will prove of interest. On
the 3lst day of July, 1863, the Leg
islature, (first session under the
New State) passed an Act providing
''for the division into Townships of
the several counties of the State"
and at the same time, designated
several persons in each county to
!
DO the work. Those named for
Mason We're; Thomas Ball, Benja-
min Day, j. p. r. b. Smith, Appel
10 Stevens and David George.
These gentlemen soon after held a
meeting and secured the service of
Thomas G. Hogg an experienced
surveyor, and one probably as ia
miliar with the geography of Mason
county, as any one who ever lived
in it. 70 him the Commissioners
delegated the work, and the present
division, with few minor changes
is the result of his work, performed
with that accuracy and fairness
which was characteristic of him
who did it. He it was too, who
named the Townships Gas they
We're called under the~first consti.
tution) bestowing upon each the
nams-of an early pioneer, within
the limits of each, and but two have
ever been changed. Cologne, he
called "Lemaster" and Union he
named "yan Bibber" and neither
should have been changed for it
blotted out two historical land
marks and instead substituted two
meaningless terms. Cologne may
mean something in the toilet
but not when applied to a
political division and certainly
"Union" loses its Specification
when applied to a single thing.
Hence, too many changes have al
ready been made.
Mr.. Hogg based his division on
population and valuation taking the
census of 1860 as his basis, and when
we have the census returns of 1890,
] venture the prediction that iu nine
of the Districts the relative ratio of
these factors will not have material
ly changed. In the other one
Waggener-a decrease in valuation
and probably in population will APP
pear, and yet strange as it may
seem, those engaged in the pre-
sent movement have recently been
engaged in an effort to have large
part of Waggener, one of the small
est in. the county, cut off and added
to Robinson, one of the wealthiest in
the county. When one thinks of
of this scheme, he is reminded of
the Partition of Poland" or some
other similar injustice. 1t is safe,
however, to say that if this scheme
succeeds it will be after the people of
Waggener have left them no remedy
at law. Whom her people voted on
the question of issuing bonds to the
o. II. r. r. so unanimous were they
that out of more than six hundred
votes but t,co were cast against
bonds, and the majority of her pco-
pie who assisted by their votes in
contracting this debt shall remain
within her borders and help pay
the same.
Will those who favor the re dis
tricting scheme, inform us how
change could be made in the boun-
dries of those Districts which are
carrying a bonded debt without
doing injustice to many Taxpayers
by compelling them to assist in dis
charging an obligation in which
they had no voice in creating? Let
me illustrate by giving the present
indebtedness of the Districts above
the kanawha. 1t stands thus:
Lewis $4,000
Robinson 1900