The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-11-16
a Redistrio1ing Atroeity.

A Redistricting Atrocity.
The State Gazette has within the
past week preached the strange pro-
position that the Congressional redis-
tricting of the several States should
be effected 10y Federal Commits
sion, organized on the plan
of the notorious Electoral
Commission of 1876. Taken in con-
neetion with the hint in our Wash
ington despatch, given elsewhere, that
General Sewell is to be Matt Quay's
successor in President Harrison's
councils, this is a startling proposition.
That it is scheme to nullify
the popular vote of the recent election
is evident, and that it may be pressed
towards realiz ticn by a party guilty
Of the Force bill Is seriously to be
feared. Here is the State Gazette's
plan
The Redistricting Commission sho uld be COM
posed of such Republicans as Edmunds. Allison,
Aldrich. Mckinley. Sherman, Evarts. spooner ;
and such Democrats as Carlisle, Gray, Brown,
Mcpherson. German. Crisp. Mcmillan and Mills.
It should be made up Of men who would COM
mand the entire confidence of their own parties
and of the countryside ablest, most skilful and
patriotic Republicans and Democrats in Con
gress
The Commission should proceed upon plan
that would also enlist the public confidence. 1t
should call upon the Republican and Democratic
State Committees of each State for suggested
arrangements of districts, and certain specific
information The State Committees should be
upon the formation OF the districts
in their states. The report should be
accompanied with official statistics Of the popu-
lation of each county in the State and of its vote
In every national election for term Of years
past, say sixteen or twenty. In case the State
Committees could not agree upon the formation
of the districts this would give the Commission
data upon which to proceed
With these. and whatever other facts might
be deemed important before it, there would be
No uliuNn1t9 HAdlrfcA ~ eitI just duQ cddlAfDi6
performance of the work Of redistricting the
States by the Commission. It would be- no
more difficult than it is for the Supreme Court,
sitting at Washington. to determine cases OF
great moment on the facts submitted, from all
parts Of the Union.
Such a formation Of Congressional districts
would be fair and non-partisan 1t would be
eminently satisfactory to the whole country
grossly unfair 1t makes the House of Repre-
sentatives packed jury, representing not the
free will and choice Of the people, but shackled
communities and gagged majorities.
The last paragraph quoted is simply
farcical. That commission fabri-
Gated by the House of Representa-
tives over which Gar Reed presided,
which expelled one Democratic mem
Der after another for partisan pur-
poses, should be partisan" is
grotesque suggestion which only the
blind fanaticism of party organ
could make.
II the States SO arrange the Con-
gressional representation as to make
it lean towards the Democracy, it will
be because the country has pro-
nounced itself absolutely Democratic
in the election just past, and
the Legislatures would do less
than their duty did they act
otherwise. The notion that the
House would be packed if it were
Democratic is simply preposterous.
The majority OF voters, taking the
country at large, have been un.
failingly Democratic in every gem
eral election in sixteen years,
and il that state OF things
does not call for Democratic major
ity in the popular" branch Of the
National Legislature, we do not
know whatrepresentatiye institutions
amount to.
The State Gazette's scheme is a gross
aggression on State rights, an out
rage on the traditions and principles