The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-03
IT MAY PROVE
A BOOMERANG.
A Democratic Plan to Hold
Michigan Next Year.
The State GerrymandeTed and a Bill Passed
EleGtin6 Presidential Electors By
Congressional Districts.
EreciaI to THE MORNING CALI

WASHINGTON. May at will be remem-
bered that some months ago a scheme of
the Democratic National Committee was
disclosed in these dispatches whereby the
Legislature of Michigan was to pass a bill
providing for the election Of Presidential
electors by Congressional districts, instead
of by the State at large. This bill has passed
both houses and will become law. Eleven
electors are to be chosen by the Congress
sional districts and two for the State at
large, one from Eastern Michigan and one
from the Western portion, commonly called
1.-The peninsula" This, together with the
geIrymander now pending, is calculated to
give the Democrats eight out of the thir-
teen Congressional districts. In the last
Congressional election the Democrats car
ried eight districts, but this, of course, was
an exceptional year.
The Democrats make a conservative
claim of eight districts under the bills pend
ing, and this seems to be conceded by Michi-
gan Republicans in this city with whom
your correspondent has talked. They say
that the Apportionment Bill now pending in
Il
to pass, will give the Democrats this number
OF Representatives in Congress.
The effect of this gerrymander and the
passage of the bill changing the. mode of
choosing Presidential electors cannot fail to
interest the whole country, as it will have
very important bearing on the result in 1892
Ii Democratic hopes are realized in 1892.
eight of Mchigan's votes will 60 to the
Democratic candidate. This will make
change of sixteen votes from the last PreSi-
dental election, which will nearly Offset the
Republican gain of twelve votes from the
new States of Washington, Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming and the two Dakotas.
This scheme of changing the mode of
choosing electors as conceived by Don
Dickinson and Timothy Tarsney, who
preached the scheme 70 Calvin Brice, Chair
man of the Democratic National Committee,
in this way: I'VE (Democrats) are in con-
troll of the Legislatures in the following Re-
publican and doubtful States. viz: New
York Ohio, Indiana. Illinois, Michigan and
Wisconsin. By gerrymanderlng these States
we can secure majority of the Congress
sional delegation from each. and then by
passing bill providing for the selection OF
electors by Congressional districts, we can
make clear gain of SO many votes in surely
Republican States while in the doubtful
States of New York and Indiana we can be
sure of having our full SHARE"
They figured out "sure thing" for the
Democrats, and chuckled because the Re-
publicans would not be in q position to re-
taliate, for they were not in control of any
Legislatures except in their Soidly Repub-
lican States, and these they would not want
to change. Dickinson and Tarsney insisted
that the Democrats ought not TO let this oD-
poItunity pass, for, argued they, 1t may not
happen again for a long time to come that
we will be in a situation to carry out this
plan.
1t is said that Brce was perfectly willing
to carry the plan out as far as Michigan was
concerned, but he was doubtful about the
policy OF making 1t general thing, and
argued that such movement would look
very bad in the eyes of the country. Dick
insOn and Tarsney insisted that this plan of
choosing electors had prevailed in several
States of the Union in tue early years of our
Government, and that the right of State
under the national Constitution to choose
its own electors in is own way could not be
doubted, and that for many years it was the
custom of the State Legislature to appoint
electors for the whole State. Dickinson
and Tarnsey grew eloquent and declared
that their plan was more democratic" than
the one now in vogue.
Brice admitted that the right of State to
do this could not be doubted, but" said
he, "a spontaneous movement of this kind
in half dozen Republican and doubtful
States which are now controlled by the
wrath of the whole country on our heads.
They will cry that it is national gerry
mandeT, and, in the face of the new Farmers
Alliance movement. it would be dangerous
thing to do" Brce then went ON to say
that ii would be better to leave we'll enough
alone. We've got 'em, surs's you live.
The Mckinley bill is ali we want. We will
beat 'em badly enough if we don't IN AXE
any big mistakes between now and the
Presidential election"
Dickinson and Tarsney went away dis
gusted with Brce, and called him "rain-
bow-ctaser." They then consulted other
leading Democrats, but they were dis
appointed to find that the rainbow
chaser's" sentiments were reflected by other
Democrats; but Dickinson, as Is we'll
known, is a politician of the aggressive
kind, SO he and Tarsney resolved
to carry out their plan in Michigan, and
they have done so. 1t remains to be seen
whether it Will be the means Of electing a
Democratic President. 1t viii surely pro-
woke the wrath of all hon est-minded people
aud may prove a boomerang TO the Bour-
bOns.