The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-01
"DEMOCRATIC" NEW YORK.

Democratic papers in New York
which have been openly exulting over
their capture of the State Senate usually
say that the State has been Democratic
since 1882. and that their party has been
nine years cheated of its rights.
To call New York Democratic State
is to ignore facts. 1t was undeniably
and strongly Republican in 1884 by a
good majority but for the Rev. DIR. Bur-
chard's idiotic speech. 1t was Republi-
can in 1888. 1t will be, with strong
candidate, again Republican next year
or rather this year. But the conditions
in New York are peculiar. 1t is the
most populous State in the Union, but
it has within its borders one almost un-
broken tract of wilderness hundred
miles across in each direction and other
mountain regions in the Catskills, the
Shawangunks and the Highlands. Ex-
cept in the Catskills, the peo-
pie inhabiting the foothills and
fringes of these vast wildernesses
are almost exclusively Republicans.
1t is easy for city man to step around
the corner and deposit his ballot. 1t is
no joke for the farmers in the more
sparsely settled regions to drive from
five to fifteen miles, often through mud
and rain, to polling place. The Demo
cratic strength is in the cities and can
always be relied upon nothing less than
a Presidential contest will bring out the
full Republican vote. The country is
losing population steadily, the cities as
steadily gaining. This circumstance
would seem to favor Democracy, but for
a curious circumstance which we shall
presently note.
The New York legislature is still ap-
portioned upon the basis of the census of
1875, since which time the cities have
grown enormously. The constitution of
the state provides that census shall be
taken every ten years, and that the legis-
iative apportionment shall be based upon
it. Obedient TO this organic law, the
Republican legislature in 1885 passed
census bill providing for an enumeration
of the people and for the collection Of
certain valuable economic data, all at
moderate expense. Gov. Hill vetoed the
bill, ostensibly on the ground that the
Legislature had no right TO provide for
more than mere enumeration. The
legislature passed the bill again, and it
was again vetoed. After adjournment n
special session was called, with no diff
ferent result.
Gov. Hills real reasons for thrice We
toing proper census bill-and one for
which there was good Democratic
precedent in the census of 1855, with its
extremely valuable statistics were
these:
/. If there were to be census, he
wished TO control the patronage.
?. He thought to gain some cheap
reputation rs an economist by objecting
10 the cost OF collecting statistics.
3. And most important, le doubted
whether census would benefit the
Democratic party; and this brings us to
closer study of the growth of the cities
of New York and Brooklyn, where the
Democratic strength lies.
There are in each Of these cities large
sections where the Republicans are in
the majority. These are in every case
the more respectable sections, called in
derision by the Democrats the brown
stone" or "silk stocking wards. They
are, moreover. except in the case of the
First ward of Brooklyn, ON the aristo-
cratic Heights" always well uptown,