San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-12
eEaRYMANDEREo DISTRICTS.

GERRYMANDERED DISTRICTS.
The Twenty-eighth senatorial dis.
trict of Texas has republican and q
democratic candidate in the field this
year. The democratic candidate lives
about one hundred miles from the
eastern limit of the district; the re-
publican candidate lives about two
hundred miles from the western line
of the district, and the two candi.
dates live some three hundred and
fifty miles apart. This district
stretching continuously from east to
west. a distance of over six hundred
and fifty miles is one senatorial dis
trict Of the state of Texas. For what
political purpose the district was so
apportioned can best be understood
by those who so mapped it out. 1t is
utterly impossible that the
senator from such dis
trict should understand its wants
or be acquainted either with
its people or its peculiar needs so as
to represent them in the state legisla-
tire. 1t is q journey as long as from
New York to Cleveland to traverse
the district from one end to the other.
This is good specimen of democratic
wisdom. If it was necessary to take
straight shoot from San Antonio to
shutdown in laying out this district
why was it not laid out along the line
of railway that traverses this section
from east to west? There might be
some sense in that; but no, this ar
rangement would have been too SEN
sible. Uvalde, Kinney. Val Verde,
lying directly along the railway line
between Bexar and Pecos counties,
are left out and a run made into Tom
Green county the north boundary of
which lies as far up as Hillsboro, half
way between Waco and Fort Worth.
This beautiful specimen of democratic
division is fully equaled if Lot sur
passed by the'recent effort of the
democracy in Ohio. where Nc
Kinley's old district is broken
up and new one formed af-
ter sthe most approved democratic
ideas of forcing republican csndi-
date to the wall. Twice before have
the democrats gerrymandered that
district with the nope of shutting
Mckinley out of congress and twice
have they been defeated. The pres
ent outline of the district mbles,
according to the State Journal, fau-
Get with the hand and part of the
arm touching the valve" AS thus
distorted it has over 1900 more demo-
cratic than republican voters. His
friends, aided by some independent
fair minded democrats will make an
effort to break the democratic fence
around this district. The campaign
badge Is ribbon, with Nc
Klnley's picture and map of
the district in all its unprece-
denied irregularlty. The spirit of
fair play may see lit to rebuke this
bald attempt of the Buckeye, legisla-
ture to steal McKinleys seat.
Whether it does or not there should
be some method of preventing the
districting of state in such a man
ner as to incommode all its political
work, entail a great burden upon
its people in endeavoring to hold
conventions and select candidates and
preclude the possibility of any fair
dealing with candidates. The legis-
lature that meets in Austin this
winter should see to 1t that Bexar
county is not grouped inthe same SEN
atorial district with Ell Paso which is
six-hundred and fifty miles away.
THE republican platform does not