The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1892-02-18
THE MISSOURI LEGISLATURE.
Gossip Concerning the Extra session-Re-
dIstrlctIng-The state TInances.


districting-The state Finances.
JEFFERSON Cry, Mo-, Feb. 15.-The extra
session Of the legislature will be called to order
at IL o'clock Wednesday, and quite a batch Of
,awmakers are now in the city hunting up quar-
ters and preparing resolutions Mr.. Turner,
chairman of the house committee on nppor-
tionment arrived this afternoon via st. Louis,
and two members Of the st. Louis delegation,
Messrs. Parker and Smith, ca,no In on the same
train.
Mr., Turner admitted that he had q congress
sfonal fcdistricting bill prepared, and some
twenty or thirty other members are known to
nave prepared bills touching the same subject.
,lhese private measures will probably never DO
heard from after they arc introduced, as Joint
will arrange 4 bill and then pre-
sent II.
IL is impo ssible to predict the probable course
OF the assembly In regard to any Of the work
before it, because the members have no we'll
defined ideas Of their own. There will be q
long fight over appropriating money to rebuild
the university, and II the reports from several
competing towns are to be credited, the tnstitu.
ton may be moved from Columbia. It'll want.
cd at Sedalia, Clinton, st, ] oseph, Moberly, Me-
Vada and Boonville. and all promise plenty Of
money and meritorious sites.
Inc correspondent Of the Globe Democrat
teIegraphs that paper tonight: 1.-THE repub-
ncans need not expect much In the matter of
rearranging the congressional districts. II
10y NC kiNef pHe ulStrlCt OUT OF tne nIteen IL
VIII only bo because the democrats fear to leave
three or four districts with small democratic
margins, and In this event will conclude to form
one solid republican district. Outside Of this
consideration the only important event will be
a scramble among the rural congressman to
Keep their districts from being changed. The
democratic state central committee will en-
de9vor to boss the entire job"
The circuit court districts will be changed,
put Just how no one appears to know. One
scheme is to make fifteen districts of the state
and elect three judges for each district, one to
follow the other from county to county. This
would make an increase Of fifteen judges in the
state. The bar association wants the number
or districts reduced from thirty to twenty. two.
There is a probability that the salary of circuit
judges will be increased to 5000 per year.
The state finances are causing considerable
gossip. To show the actual condition of af-
fairs the following is taken from the auditors
report for the year ended December 81, 1891,
practically showing the condition of affairs
january j, 1892; s,.Ta
Appropriated for 1891. oe, $3.50, al. ~; total
demands for 1891. M, SIS. 3O6, 491. "A.
J This does not indicate much Of q surplus,
but rather n deficit. However, the auditor
says, in another part of his report: 81 am Of
the opinion that the balances undrawn will
be sufficient to meet the demands of this year
except for costs in criminal cases"
The auditor hascs his calculations on the
knowledge that all the money appropriated will
not be drawn, and there is no doubt but that he
is correct. 1t has been stated on semi. official
authority that there will probably be $4,000 Of
money left December 81, 1892, after the demands
created by the regular session have been salts.
fled, as matters now stand. This means there
will be unexpended balances to this amount.
These estimates are doubtless correct.
Alt DEMOCRATIC.
st. Louis Republic, February 10.
II am in favor of making every district in
Missouri democratic" said ex.Attorney- Gen
eral Boone at the Lacede last night. Il am not
in favor Of any 'gerrymander' to put any man
in congress-, but knowing we have fourteen
democrats in congress representing Missouri,
there is no reason why we should not have ff-
teen, so long as We have been given by
our growth In population an additional
district. / am not In favor of setting of any
portion Of the state to be exclusively or
particularly republican. I I'm talking on the
principle that every district in the state should
be democratic, and having the chance to make
every one in Missouri of that political COM
plexion, l do not see that We are under moral
or political obligations to make any district
other than democratic in Missouri. 1t is right
to be a democrat and wrong to be n republican
Il am speaking politically, and why Missouri
democrats in legislature should con-
cede anything TO wrong or the wrong party in
Missouri, / can't see.
80 far as the redistricting of the state is con.
cerncd, l say make all the fifteen democratic.
1t docs not amount to anything when we come
to talk about contiguous territory and all that
sort OF a thing. Distance in these days is ami
hilated by railroads, as territory apart Is made
contiguous by means Of rapid trans.
portation. A congressional district 2U
miles long in this state, anywhere
and twenty miles wide, is Just rs
compact on account of the railroad facilities in
the state rs if it were a square, or rectangular
w Ennn1pl for thn On Ia of fraptnotriaol ,a,,,k,
and not political usefulness. 1 do not know
where or in what part of the state the new
district may be made, but l do say make it lem.
~ocratic."