The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-11-09
REAPP0RT|ONMENT.
The Eight New Jersey Com
gressmen the Problem
for the Legis-
1atuTe.
DIVIDE HUDSON COUNTY.
Representation in Ratio Of the
Population Would Call for Sew
eral New Democratic
Senator'S.

Special to the SttNduU Morning Tetcs
TRENTON. Nov. s. 1890. The most Inn
portaut political function that the next
Legislature win be called upon TO dis
charge win be the reassignment Of the
Congressional districts so as to make
room for the eighth Congressman given
70 the State by the new apportionment
and the reapportionment Of the sixty AS
semblymen among the several counties
in the State. II laying out the Con-
gressional districts the rule heretofor &
followed has been to group the counties
into districts. Nowhere in the State uu-
der the apportionment now In force
is the county line disregarded. Each dis
trict embraces, not parts Of counties, but
one or more counties in their entirety.
SENATORIAL REPRESENTATION.
1t is evident that if this plan is to be
followed in the apportionment which is
to come it will first be necessary to deter
mine how many counties the State shall
be divided into, and how they are to be
located. / take it for granted that the
Democratic determination is to add one
or more to the roll of existing countless
This course Is dictated by the necessity of
ulSdhtHs tue pfspOnuefdnce OIL tue uttle
counties in the administration OF State
effairs, and By the party expediency of
breaking the grip of the Republicans on
the politics of the State.
IL is in the Senate that the Republican
power is manifested. It is easy enough,
as rule, for the Democrats TO carry the
House. But the equal Representations Of
number of little counties in the Senate
with the large counties gives them an
easy triumph in the upper chamber.
The 100000 Democrats of Hudson have
one vote in the Senate. The 250.000 Re-
publicans Of South Jersey cast sever
votes, though the Senators from Camden,
berland and Cape May. The unfairness
of basis of representation that max es
such partisan inequality possible needs
no comment, and fer years there has been
q popular demand all over the State for q
change In Senatorial representation. The
Republican managers have heretofore.
however, worked on the local pride OF
their little county Senators, and by their
votes have defeated any movement look
ing in that direction.
A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION?
This winter the Democrats have SO
large a majority In the Senate that with
proper party management they may be
able TO carry reform through In spite of
the opposition of the little counties. Some
of the counties, Salem and Gloucester,
are represented for the first time IN many
years by Democrats. They may be per-
suaded that the only way of having them
selves succeeded by Democrats is to
change the basis OF representation, and
SO they may be got to consent TO the pas
sage Of an act calling for convention to
devise and adopt new constitution
under which the Senators viii be elected.
as the Assem- blymen are, by districts and
not by counties A constitution devised
by such convention would need but the
ratification of the people at special cleo
ton to make 1t the organic law OF the
commonwealth.
The agitation in 1899 of the split
ting of Hudson county into two counties,
and the erection Of Hoboken and her
North Hudson neighbors into q new
county of Hamilton suggested another
method by which the Democrats of the
State may maintain their rightful SUI
premacy in the Senate. The recent cleo
tion-by which North Hudson defeated
the anti-Ring movement 60 which the
Jersey City end of the county gave an en-
phatic majority of nearly 2,O00-has
served to conciliate the peope of Jersey
City to the proposed division Of the coun-
ty. and there is little doubt that the Ho-
boken people will gladly attempt TO take
their end of the county OFF and have it all
to themselves for new county.
OR A LOT OF NEW COUNTIES.
Even that end of 4he county SET off in q
county by itself will make a county of
more than respectable size. With its
population of upwards of 100000, it will
In fact be second only to Essex and Hud-
son in the rolI-the third county in the
State Hudson people may possibly feel a
tinge OF envy in surrendering first place
to Essex, but then 1t is not unlikely that
Essex too will be split up into two smaller
portions. Little ends of Somerset, Hun
up third of the new counties. The
scheme is only in embryo as it were yet,
and before the session closes the Legisla-
ture may deem it wise to make half a
dozen new counties with view to equal
lie the representation in the Senate as
far as it can be equalized.
This whole problem Will have to be
considered, weighed and solved before
the Houses can get down to a serious
consideration of either the Congressional
or the Assembly reapp0rtionment. The
rules that will probably govern the AS
sembly apportionment and the results
were noted in THE NEWS when the figures
of the new census were made known last
summer; aud it is not necessary TO go
over that ground again now.
THE EIGHTH CONGRESSMAN
But the gift of an eighth Congressman
to the State naturally piQues enquiry as
to where room is to be made for him. The
DcIuOCttttt pH1tft IL ulll DC assumed.
will determine this question as it should,
from q Democratic standpoint. No one
can find fault IL he is planted where he
can do The most good. From this point
of view General Sewell's pocket borough
in South Jersey will scarcely expect to
capture him; and it may be taken for
granted that he viii find his home in the
nest of counties up In the north section Of
the State.
IIhis willinvoIve. of course, regroup-
Ing of the north counties into new Con-
gressional districts. and the people Of the
State need not be surprised 10 see the
Third district made up of Monmouth.
Middlesex and Mercer; the Fourth OF
Union, Somerset aud Huntardon; the
Fifth of Warren. Passaic and Morris: the
Sixth of Hamilton and Bergen. or Ham
ilton, Bergen and Sussex; the Seventh of
Essex, and the Eighth of what is left Of
Hudson
HAMILTON COUNTY
The assumption IN the Arrangement
of counties is that Hamilton county is one
OF II certain things of the near future.
and 1eir is no doubt that it is. The Ho-
boken and North Hudson politicians have
been SO long suffering an unappeased
hunger for county positions that they
will make strong pressure this winter,
doubtless, to secure little county OF
their own. Nike Coyle will probably be
It's boss. and he will have whole refinue
OF judges, Ereeho1ders and county
Institution employees to do his bidding. A