The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-03-08
SIX VOTES TO TWO.
How New Jerseys Democ-
racy Will Be Secured
Representation in
Congress.
AppORTIONING MAJORITIES.
Newark viii Be a District All
Alone Jersey City and
Bayonne Another.


~9|%@r% ~<ttes~~ "
One Of the most perplexing questions
with which the Democratic State Com
rnittee has yet had TO deal is the reappor-
tionment Of the Congressional districts.
As is well known. New Jersey secures an
additional Congressman by the reaDpor-
tionment, and the great difficulty has
been to distribute the eight Congressman
in such d manner that the large Demo-
cratic majority In the State would secure
the recognition to which 1t Is entitled Ia
the National Congress, and at the same
time respect the claims of various locali-
ties. The work of the committee has not
been completed yet and all that is said at
this time concerning the lines is
pure speculation. This much how
ever, Is certain, there will be
six Democratic and TWO Republican
districts Newark viii be district by
itself. and the two Republican districts
Will be made IN of the southern counties.
The First district is now composed OF
Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, Glouces-
ter and Camden counties, and the Second
Of Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean and Mer-
Ger. The new districts will probably con-
tain these districts, with the exception of
Mercer, which. together with Huntsrdon
and Warren, according TO one report, will
make up another district. AT the last
Congressional election Mercer gave the
Democratic candidate a majority OF 80;
Warren gave him majority of 1921. and
in Hunterdon he received 1856 more votes
than his opponent. These counties would
thus make a district in which there would
be Democratic majority of 1857.
MERCER TO BE PUT TO A GOOD USE
Another district. it is said, VIII be COM
- Il Ill., 49,. -
mouth counties which would make a
Democratic district with q majority Of
7S3 based upon the vote at the last Con-
gressionRl election. Then Middiesex
gave the Democratic candidate majority
Of Ices. and Monmouth z32. while Ocean
county went Republican by 547 There Is
another plan which contemplates divi-
sion OF Mercer between these two latter
districts In a manner which will bring
the two majorit1es nearer to each other.
AS the districts advance northward the
problem becomes more perplexing, and
the lines which have been run are num-
erous- The scheme is said to have parts
of three districts In Hudson aud Essex
counties. aud in order to DO that some ex-
ceedingly complicated geomefrical figures
will have to he drawn. Several of the
chenies which have been mentioned are
impossible, owing to the geographical po-
sitions of the sections sought to be united.
strong Democratic district was TO be
formed by uaiting Hoboken with Morris
and Union counties. an fmpossibility
which anyone who glsuces at
the map of the State can
see. A more probable scheme carries
Bayonne, fguratively speaking, across
the Newark Bay and tHcks 10 onto Union
and Morris counties. This scheme also
contemplates consolidating in this district
the Essex townships of Clinton, South
Orange, Millburn aud Livingston. Alter
these changes the district would be Dem
ocratic by majority Of 1885, Some who
claim 10 be informed say that Bayonne
instead of going across the bay will stay
where 1t is and together with Jersey City,
Harrison aud Kearny form another dis
trict. At the last election Bayonne
gave Congressman Mcdonald a majority
Of e04 over Mr. McEwan, which taken
from the figures above still leaves the
Morris and Union districts an estimated
majority of 2,032.
WHERE JERSEY CITY IS GOING.
The district which Bayonne, Jersey
CITY Kearney and Harrison would make
wonid roll mp Democratic majority of
21T2. If Newark becomes district by it
self and the generally accepted opinion
now seems to be that she will, she will
have Democratic majority of zoos, as
that was the majority which Thomas Dunn
English received over Mr.. Condict. But
III order TO make Newark district by
herself it will be necessary to separate her
from the other cities and the townships OF
Essex County. l have already shown how
it is proposed to add several OF them TO
the Union Morris district. The Others
West Orange, Orange, Bloomfield, East
Orange. Montclair and Franklin, 1t IS said,
viii keep Passaic, Bergen, the North
hudson Townships and HoDoken COM
pany in a democratic district with q
majority of 1916 AT the election last tall,
Hoboken gave Congressman Mcdonald u
majority Of 2,070, aud the Townships, !, ia.
Congressman Cadmus carried Bergen
county bv 692 ami lost Passaic by VA.
The Essex townships which have been
Incorporated In the district gave MT. Con-
d O.. the Republican candidate $50 majority
and Congressman English u majority OF
1880
AS will be observed the figures upon
which these majorities were computed
were taken from the official returns OF
the vote for Congressman at the iasI ran
election. That election was SORT Oh
Democratic tidal wave and at announcer
election they might be reduced some.
But they are all large enough TO 40 away
with the danger which lies IN close as
trict. Moreover, view OF the map Oh
the State will snow that no shameless
gerrymandering has been done sucn as
The Republicans have accompiisneu ~
other States.