New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-17

lRlCIS AXE FANORtD
IRON THE REGULAR coRREsPosDENT OF THE TRIBUYc.l
Albany, March 16.-Governor Flower to-day
sent TO the Legislature, privately, bill which
, had been drawn up by him and his private SEQ
retary. Colonel T. S. Williams, rearranging the
Congressional Districts of the State. Mr.. Flower
is following Mr. Hills bad example-acting both
as the originator of legislation and as the man
who finally passes upon it. Thus the Legislature.
under Democratic auspices, is becoming merely
an apparatus for registering the will of the
Executive.
With the aim Of taking of the curse II
possible, of gerrymanderng bill, an inspired
article printed in one of the Governors news
paper organs yesterday, declaring that the Dill
would be fair one and that Governor Flower
would not permit any gerrymander. But the
bill almost precisely follows the line
of one drawn up by David B. Hill
year ago and that, as might have been expected.
was gcrrymandcring bill. Only trivial amendments
have been made TO the measure. Mr.. Flower
therefore. cannot pose as q fair Executive. His
bill groups as many Congressional Districts as
possible in New-York and Brooklyn-that is in
Democratic cities-and deprivcs the rural counles.
in which Republican voters in the majority, OF
large proportion of their Congressional Districts.
Besides the average rural Congressional District
has included within its limits, rule, larger
number of voters than the average district IN
New-York City and Brooklyn The average num-
her OF voters in New-YOrk City Congressional
Districts is 1856; while one Congressional
District in the rural part OF the State has l0O,'
$50 populations another, 206,6S3 third 1897
l30: another 202, ,416; another, 1s9,5s6; ana two
others have 10000. A disproportonate repre-
sentation in Congress is thus given to New-forK
and Brooklyn Democrats. The number Of Con.
gressional districts in Brooklyn is increased from
four to five and in New-Yorki from eight to ten.
What they gain, Of course, the rural voters lose.
The Democrats Of the Senate and Assembly
think that by the gerrymander they Will 10
enabled to carry twenty-five, and possibly twenty
three, districts at every election The dlstrlcS
upon which they count are the 1st. containing
Suffolk and Queens counties, four districts In
Prooklyn, ten districts in New-York, the AVllth
District containing Rockland, Orange and Sulii-
van counties the XVIIIth, containing Putnam.
Dutchess and Ulster counties; the AlAth' con-
tanning Rensselaer, and Columbia counties; inc
NXth. containing Albany County; the XAlst. COM
posed Of Greene, Schoharie, Otsego Montgomery
and Schenectady counties the XXXlst, COM
posed of Monroe County, and the AAAlld
and XXXIIId, composed of parts OF
Niagara and Erie counties. This would leave the
Republican party only eleven out of the thirty
four dlStrlcts. Inc 10 olio"h W "A
instance as this That one Of the Brooklyn districts
has population Of only 1892, whereas one
Republican district, the XXXth, has massed within
its borders six counties Ontario, Yates, Livingston,
Wyoming. Genesee and Orleans, and population
Of 202,4l6.
Another Republican district. the XXlld. has
included in it the counties Of Fulton, Hamilton,
Saratoga, Essex and Washington, and popula-
ton Of 2O6,6s3. But the Democratic AVllth
District composed of Rockland Orange and Sui
lvan counties, has only l64,052 population!
Here is a disparity between the Republican and
the Democratic district of 10000 votes Is that
fair? Has Mr.. Flower refrained from making
rerrymander? Has any attention been paid TO
the law OF Congress that the districts shall have,
~ nearly as can be constituted, an equality OF
votes? ? 1t may be added that the inequallty
is now greater than appears at first sight, since
= large number Of foreigners who do not vote
are included in the populations of New-iork and
Brooklyn. The inequality is especially observ-
able in a table showing the population Oh 'ho
bolO