The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-15
WON'T SIGN AGERRYMANDER
COZ. FLOWER PREPARES a FAIR CON.
GRESS APPORTIONMENT BlLL
Sixteen Districts Democratle. FIFeea Re.
publican, and Tsree Doubtful-The Redis-
trictine Rnsed on tho Federal Genius
Staten Island VIII he Joined TO q New
York District. and brooklyn viii HIVE
. Re pubiicnn n, Representative.

ALBANY. March'14.-A Congress apportion-
ment bill which rs nearly rs possible divides
the Congress districts Of the State between
the Democrats and tho Republicans has been
prepared. and 1t will speedily pass both
Houses and be signed by the Governor.
There are thirty-iour Congress districts in
tho State. Tho bill makes sixteen districts
Democratic, fifteen Republican. and three
doubtful. Owing to the Democratic prepon-
derance in the cities and the Republican ma
jorties in tho rural counties 1t would be hard
to gerrymnnder the State FOR the Democrats.
but Gov. Flower thought it would he lad party
policy to try to make Il gerrymander. and he
has prepared n fair apportionment bill which
he hopes will meet with favor from every one.
irrespective of party.
South OF Peekskill there are sixteen dis
tricts. This is not as many as that section Of
the Stn'cis really entitled to. but the Congress
apporionmcnt is made on the false Federal
census instead OF on the state census. which
is not yet completed. North OF Peekskill there
are two Democratic two douttu!. and fourteen
Republican districts South of Peekskil
there are ono Republican. fourteen Dem
ocin!ic. and one doubtful district. New
York city. including Eichmond and West
chester counties. has ten Congressman under
this bill. 1t would he hard to make any of these
districts Republican without II gerrymander Of
district running from Blocker street to Cen
trail Park and ziGzagging across Fifth avenue.
These districts are left much as at present eX-
cept that the big uptown districts are divided
and Staten Island is taken from tho Queens
County district and added to a New York city
Congress district as 1t was added by a Repub-
lican Legislature to a New York Senate dis
trict That leaves the Queens and Suffolk SEN
ate and Congress districts the same.
There are to be five Brooklyn districts. the
Second. Third. Fourth, Fifth. and Sixth The
Second consists of the First. Second. Fifth,
Sixth. Seventh. Eleventh. and Twentieth
wards The Third includes the Fourth Third.
Tenth. Twenty second. Ninth. and Twenty.
third wards. and Flatlands. The Fourth con-
sists of the Twelfth. Eighth. Twenty fourth.
Twcnty-'lfth and Twenty-sixth wards and
New Utrecht Grnvosrnd. and Flatbush. The
Fifth is the Eighteenth. Nineteenth Twenty
seventh. Twcnty-tirst. and Twcnty-eighth
wards. The Sixth is tho Thirteenth. Four
teenth. Fifteenth. Sixteenth. and Seventeenth
wards
seven to sixteen. inclusive They are: Sew
enth-First and Fifth Assembly districts and
Staten Island. EiGhth-Second. Third. and Sew
enth Assembly districts Ninth-Fourth Sixth.
and Eighth districts. Tenth-Ninth. Thirteenth.
and Fifteenth districts Elcventh-Tenth.
Twelfth. and Fourteenth districts. Twelfth
Eleventh. Sixteenth. and Eighteenth districts.
Thirteenth - Seventeenth. Twentieth. and
Twenty first. below Fifty ninth street. districts.
fourteenth Nineteenth Twenty-Rrst. from
Ffty-ninth to- Sovnnty-ninth street. and TWEEN
ty-sccond below Seventy-ninth street. Fiji
tecnth--Twcnty-f first district, between Seven
ty-pinth AMI Eighty sixth streets. Twenty
second. above sevcnty-ninth street. and the
TIL. annexed district and Wcstchcster county.
One Of Tho i'rook lvn districts is Republican.
The queens and uffolk districts is dchata!Jlc.
With Eichmund county il was severely Demo-
cratic. but giving Richmond county to New
York makes it dehatahlc. Another OF tho
brooklyn districts is doubtful. The 10 600
Dem cratic majority in New York is pretty
nearly distributed over the ton New York dis
trirts. all Of which ar" Democratic. 1t has
been found lv experimental di~trirtih. that
the districts, without G"rrymnndcring. cannot
lie hail on, in substantial difference to the
present Ilar.
While ihia plan is Gov. Flowers 1t does not
give the Democrats as many C"ngrassmen as
one sure district more than the Republicans
and they are entitled l., as they have Carried
tn" State on state elections for ten years Tho
doubtful districts incline to ii" Democratic.
but in districts ike the Queuns-S ufrolk dis
trict the Democrats are not united. and the
Republicans often win. 1t would have
siren, ,thened the Democrats to have put Staten
Island with Brooklyn instead of New York
whore it is not needed. but Gov Flower
wanted the Rpportionment to be fair, and he
has done his best.