The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-06-26
Legislative and Congressional Apportion-
ment Bills Vetoed.
HARRISBURG, June "a.

HARRISBURG, june z5.
The Legislative and Congressional
apportionment bills were vetoed this
evening by Governor Pattison. The
Governor says /: "The apportionment
of the State into Representative dis
tricts, according to the Constitution. is
not difficult matter nor is it one in
the execution of which any partisan
ingenuity needs to be expressed to
secure for the political majority of the
people Of the State their full and en-
tire rights of representation"
Continuing the Governor states /:
'Every intent of the system is to pro-
tect and preserve the rights of the
smaller districts, and the manifest ten
dency is toward single Representative
districts. These explicit directions
have been followed in the main in this
apportionment, and where they are de-
parted from in any degree had the
General Assembly followed any con-
sistent principle of division and allot-
m cnt doubts would certainly have
been felt in the Executive mind as to
the propriety of disturbing the conclu.
sions reached.
THE BILLS INCoNGRUITIEs.
"But it is all too plain that in the
partitioning Of a number of the larger
counties of the State considerations
have been allowed to govern which
have no place in the constitutional idea
of a fair and proper apportionment.
These blemishes and incongruties in
the bill render it intolerable; l have
been the reader to veto Ii on their ac-
count, because within two years an
other General Assembly will have an
opportunity to apportion the State in
to Legislative districts, and to provide
a consistent and uniform system of re-
presentation for this decade.
The Governor refers to the Con-
gresssonal apportionment bill as fol-
lows: "Ihis bill ought to be fair
division of the State, without regard to
partisan advantages, into Congress
ional districts, based on the census Of
1890, and upon the representation to
which Pennsylvania is entitled under
the act of the Federal Congress. The
number of Representatives thus as
signed to the State is thirty, and the
contemplation of the act of Congress,
as well as the spirit Of our apportion-
ment laws, is that the congressional
districts of the State should be single,
composed of contiguous territory con-
venient of arrangement and containing
as nearly as practicable an equal num-
Der of inhabitants.
"The present bill is Objectionable.
1t is not sn apportionment based on
the census of 1890. 1t is re enact
ment of the apportionment of 1887,
which was based on the census of $50
with the modification that of the two
additional members allotted to Penn
sylvania one is assigned to Philadel-
phia and the other to Allegheny
county. With this exception and the
excision from the present district, con-
sisting of the counties of Fayette,
Washington and Greene, of that por-
tion of Allegheny county now connect
ed with them, this bill is a rc-enact-
ment of the act to organize and define
the congressional districts under the
census of ten years ago. The appor-
tionment of 1887 was highly objection
able in many features and abounded
in glarlng violations of the spirit of a
fair assignment of representatives.
A REINFORCEMENT POSTPONED.
"While it is true that in the arrange
ment of the Congressional districts the
General Assembly exhibits no such
disposition as appears in the judicial
apportionment to wholly disregard
contiguity of territory, yet glance at
| the map of Pennsylvania and a most
cursory examination of the manner in
which its Congressional districts have
been carved out are enough to satisfy
any impartial mind that no serious or
sincere attempt has been made to
form districts of campact and convent
ent arrangement.
"The Executive is willing to post
pone the Congressional reapportion-
ment of the State to Legislature
which shall be elected by the people
thoroughly awakened to sense, of
how their representatives have failed
to meet this duty"
Bargains in ready trimmed hats at
+. Barkley's for the remainder of the
season, also lot of straw goods at a
reduction in prices.
Stamping and plnking done to order,
new patterns for stamping just receiv