The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-07-11
ATTACKING THE LAW.
Essex Republicans Asking the
Court to Set Aside the RI
districting Act.
Special to The Jersey cftv Ne,us.

N@1 %sCeN6 H
TRENTON, July IL, 1893.-The argument
N the suit brought by the Essex Repub
licans to test the Redisrricting act o.
1891 was begun yesterday afternoon be.
lore justices Depue, Lipplncott and Reid
OF the Supreme Court. The suit was
brought to secure from the Court two
Writs OF mandamus, one directing the
Clerk of the county OF Essex for tbs
next election of the Msmbers Of Assem-
bly, to have the tickets printed with thu
entire number of Assembly men entitled
70 SIT In the House OF aAssembly from
Essax county on them. so that they can
De elected by the entire vote OF the peo.
pie. aud If the Court SO desires and de-
cioes the eleventh member to be elected
as a Member -Larne
The other form of maudamus is to be
issued to the various clerks OF the NUM-
cipallties, directing than to publish no.
tices that the next election for Assembly,
men will be held by general ticket.
MR.. PARKER's INDIGNATION.
Courtland Parker, X. Wayne Parker,
Thomas NJ. Carter and John Emery ap-
peared for the applicants and Colonel E.
l.. Price and ex-Jadge Stevens, OF New
ark. and Allen McDermott opposed the
application. IL was tour O'Clock before
eS 49, VOC pa dY us HIATkHT
z the argument. He produced the
gaudy colored maps of the new districts
which the Republicans used so ineffectu-
ally as a campaign document last fall and
which It was agreed by counsel should
De admitted as a true map OF the State
as redistrictsd. He denounced the law in
strong terms and called the redistrictinp
hard He referred to the various
counties IN which the lines had peer ruu
to suit the Republican bosses aud grew
so rtghteously indignant as he enumer
ated the iniquities of the Democr It's
that he forgot all about the shameless
~Rerrynlander which the Republicans
made some years ago.
THE CONSTITUTION INVOKED.
He explained that prior to the adoption
OF the constitution OF 1874 in this State.
representation was entirely by counties,
The counties OF Warren, Passaic and
Hudson in 1887 were set off from Other
counties mainly for political purposes.
aud the feeling wa quite adverse TO the
tampering with boundary lines to sec urc
political results; for IN the Constitutfon ma
convention of 1914 there WAS consid cradle
argument over Il clause which was TO
prevent the changing of the boundaries
OF the counties i'll the future.
1t was then agreed that the representa-
tiou by three members of the Assembl '
was not proper, because the populatio D
WIS cousIAuety increasing; that IN the
future the representation should be
made according to the population, and
the number of members that the county
was entitled to TO be secured by appor
tionlnent, aud these Representatives,
were to be selected by the voters OF the
county respectively, as it had been from
the beginning.
The first change was made in 1852.
when for political purposes a reaistrict-
Ing scheme was devised, There was no
particular complaint against. it, because
an effort was made to make the division
equal and just.
The constitution requires that the coun-
ties shall send Representatives to make
the State laws. 1t is impossible for 4
county TO send Representatives IL mat
Representative be not selected by the
voters OF that county.
The idea of representation Is that the
men should represent the entirety and
tot II part Of his community, and it is be-
cause OF the disregard of these consti-
tutional requirements that men have
been sent TO the Legislature who have
not been as good Representatives as the
entire people would desire.