The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-04-11
ONO APPORTIONMENT.

IOHtU AUTHORITARIAN u.
A MONsEROus H0LlxfCAL FRAUD IN
THE BUCKEYE STATE.
The lnfAmoas Dsnecratlo Gsrrynandsr-
Thrse.tourths Of the Congresxmen TO Be
stolen-Ths Scheme So Repugnant to
Decency that Even JOe Pulitzer At
tacks II.
From the Chicago Tribune.l
The infamous gerrymauder just COM
plsted by the Democrats in Ohio ought
to arouse indignation throughout the
country. Ohio has always besna Repub-
ltcssn State on National issues. and has
only been carried by the Democracy oc-
~casionally in OF years aud on local ques-
ttons. In fifteen years the Democrats
have carried the State only twice. Last
fall they elected their candidate for Gov
ernor on account Of the disaffection of
German Republicans over the Sunday
Dry" law and because many former Re-
publicans, blinded by prohibition folly
aud fanaticism, were duped into playing
into the hands Of the free liquor party.
Yet under these adventitious conditions
the Democrats elected only their candi.
date for Governor aud had to pull ths
S4AVukA w t4EVWlLkk
out votes cast for his Repu6l can OPP
ponent. The remainder of tho Republic
can ticket was elected by some 1000 ma
jority. The utmost that could be claimed
by the Democrats was that in an of year
aud with local issues prominent the State
was about equally divided. Selling on
accidental control Of the Legislature they
have gerrymandered the State for Ma
tional legislation SO q to give them fifteen
Congressman and the Republicans six.
The fraud has been so ar:fully perpc-
carry Ohio by over 10000 majority they
will not be able to get more than six or
seven congressman. Not content with
this infamous fraud the Democrats are
talking OF u proposition to give the Leg
islature power to cast the Electoral vote
of the State SO that, although the voters
might give 10000 or 100, COO majority for
the Republicans In the next Presidential
election, the Democratic candidate would
have the t~wenty-three electoral votes of
the State il the Legislature elected in
1891 should happen TO be Democratic.
The Ohio Democrats stopped ut moth.
ing which they thought might serve to
substitute fraudulent minority tyranny for
majority rule. A gerrymander more out
rageously unjust aud even criminal in
character was never made. To make sure
that they could hold q majority of the
seats In Congress, even though the State
should be heavily Republican, the DEM
ocrats mapped out districts without re-
gard to geographical or other considera-
tions except to destroy as many Republi-
cum votes as possible and strangls the
voice OF Republican communities. Where
it was impossible to do this. as in Sec
tions along the Ohio and Miami Rivers,
Republican counties were punched to-
gether SO that they would have excessive,
useless majorities and waste their voting
strength in the Dir. Thus there is a ma.
jority of $500 i'll the Second District of
Hamilton County, G,A2 in the Tenth,
7,O65 in the Twelfth, 9, l0l- in the Nine
teenth, and $500 in the Twentieth. These
are the districts in which the Republic
q N are to fire in the air. On the other
hand there is a Democratic majority of
l.O0O-based on the last Presidential cleo
tion-in tho First District, 1,s0O ditto in
the Third, 1880 in the Fourth, l,OOO in
the Sixth, 1900 in the Seventh, 1900 in
the Eighth, 1000 in the Ninth, l,4OO in the
Eleventh, 1000 the Thirteenth, 1900 in
the Fourteenth, 1900 i'll the Sixteenth,
1000 in the Seventeenth, and j, 100 in the
Twenty.irst. In twelve of these districts
there is but 16, 0 Democratic majority.
whereas the Republican majorities piled
up in the Twelfth and Nineteenth are
1000! The average majority in the Re-
publican districts is five times that in the
Democratic. Not only were groups of
Republican counties punched together.
SO as to make their great strength nuga-
tory, but lines were mapped out SO as to
throw other Republican counties in with
Democratic counties just strong enough
to overcome them. Such counties as
Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Wood, Van
Vert, Hardin, Logan. Union, Miami,
Warren, Ross, Highland, Perry, jackson,
Delaware; Morrow, Madison, Preble,
Washington, Noble. Belmont, and Me-
dina. giving an aggregate of some 10000
Republican majority, are all stranglel
and crushed between Democratic coun-
ties in fourteen districts. thus while
! Democratic ballots are made to count for
rs much as possible, some 40, Iepub-
lican votes in strong Cepublican coun-
ties are grouped so as to make them
valueless, aud twenty-three counties are
SO fixed" as to deprive them of the
strength that would belong to them un-
der u decent or fair a~pportionment.
The result is that while being in a
minority Of 10000 to $4,000 on national
issues in the State tho Democrats have
seized three-fourths Of the representa-
ton in Congress and will retain it against
" BWS0Y4AS xA0RuOllSUu AlulOTlLy Oh IQo
popular vote.
Such an infamous gerrymander as this
in Ohio is o crime against free ~institu-
tions. Calling themselves Democrats
these political robbers have conspired
against what Jefferson termed sthe vital
principles of republics-absolute %acquies.
cence n the will of the majority" Trait
ors to the first principles of popular gov
eminent these political thieves and con-
spirators have arranged'to stife aud. de-
stroy the voice of the majority in order
that the minority may usurp power and
govern. It this outrageous garrymander
could be submitted to the people of Ohio
as q direct issue and not complicated
with anything else it would be repudiated
by oil Republicans and by tens Of thou
sands of decent Democrats. That rem.
edy being imprac!icable, however, the
Ohio Republicans ought to consider seri-
ously the question of paying no attention
to the Democratic gerrymander and vot-
ing in their old districts this f.:li. Two
sets OF candidates can then present them
selves for admission to the House, and
that body can decide whether q State
g~errymandered SO as to give the rule to
the minority instead of the majority has
in fact N republican form OF govern
ment.' The House of Representatives
in Washington is just learning that it
can exercise the power of unseating mem-
bers in q way calculated to cure election
frauds, and some heroic treatment of that
kind may be needed for Ohio. :
THE OHIO aARRYMANDER.
The Cleveland Plaimdealcr and the
Detroit Free Pyessare brazenly defending