The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-08-19
THE PARTY OF GERRYmANDERs

The Democratic party, in its lust for
power overreaches itself. In the last two
or three years ithas come into possession
of number of legislatures of Northern
| States, by unfOrtutiOus circumstances
and demagogic use of temporary State
issues. Thus ensconced, it has sought
to enact legislation that would perpetu-
ate its control of these Northern States
| The result has been some of the most
shameless and fragrant gerrymanders in
the history of politics.
In Michigan the State was redistricted
for both Senators and Representative in
the legislature in such a way as to
trample upon and ignore all the rights
of the Republican majority in the State,
and the State was redistricted for Cen
gressional purposes by gerrymander.
SO clumsily and heedlessly was the legis-
| lative gerrymander constructed that the
Supreme Court of the State, by an
unanimous opinion of both Republican
and Democratic judges, has decided it to
be unconstitutional. Democratic journals,
even, are visiting condemnation upon
the reckless disregard of rights by their
party in Michigan, and some of them are
brave enough to point the injustice and
and bad policy of Democratic gerry
manders in other States.
In Wisconsin there is a scarcely less
Objectionable enactment which is to be
tested in the courts. Missouri; Indiana
and Maryland, and nearly all the
Southern States, are equally burdened.
Indiana was gerrymandered to prevent
the return of Benjamin Harrison to the
United States Senate, and has remained
so ever since.
The Tammany Board of Aldermen of
New York City have, however, eclipsed
all other gerrymanders in their re-
districting of the city for members of
the legislature. Out of thirty districts
they have contorted the lines of vivision
so as to leave Tammany what is called
fighting chance in twenty-nine and
sure thing in at least twenty three. The
New York gerrymander is also to be
tried in the courts, and it is believed
that there are technical flaws in it as
well as equitable objections that will
work its repeal.
The only Republican enactment the
Democrats can find to object to as a set
off to this array of Democratic iniquity is
the Congressional apportionment act
passed by the Ohio legislature last
winter to correct the Democratic gerry
mander of two years before, by which
William Mckinley, Jr., was shut out of
Congress. This provides for sixteen
Republicans and five Democrats in Con-
gress on normal vote. If the State
were to go Democratic by ten thousand
plurality the probability is that it would
return eleven Democratic Congressman
to ten Republicans. In the vote under
the Democratic apportionment which re-
turned fourteen Democrats and seven
Republicans to the present Congress
from Ohio, and which the present law
repeats, the Republican plurality on the
total vote for Congressman in the State
was 10000. The device was planned TO
return one more Democrat and one less
Republican, but it slipped cog. Major
Mckinley, put in district with
normal Democratic plurality of 1900,
was defeated by less than 700 plurality
and was next year easily made Governor
of the State. In his inaugural address
he called attention to the injustice and
unfairness of political gerrymanders, and
the Republican Legislature, taking him
at his word, has sought to redistrict the
State justly and fairly.