New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-27
TO STOP GERRYMANDERS.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION AT WORK
on A FAIR APPoRTIoNMENT.

JUSTICE TO NETWORK CITY REPUBLIcANs-AR- |
RANGING TIE SENATE pIsrRrcrs-pRAFT OF
THE AMENDMENT so FAR As COMPLETED.
| IRON rHE REGULAR coRREsrOSDEST cv rus rkIBrNE
Albany. Aug. ?6-Severa Of the Republican ieau
ers Of the Constitutional Convention we're nara a.
work until late hour last night at the mouse OF
Joseph H. Choate president OF the Convention ~ NO
| % Exist. preparing the legislative appor"oH'e".
Amendment the Constitution. Among those preSe",
were President Choate, Ellhu Root and Edwaru
| Lau,erbach OF Nev-York; T. II. Brown. OF "dte'-
| town who introduced the amendment, and Charles
| z. Lincoln. OF Little Valley. Messrs. Brown ana
Lincoln were present the Republican members
| OF a subcommittee appointed yesterday oy the
| Committee Legislative Organization 70 eoHp'e'e
| the apportonment amendment.
Mr. Root and Mr.. Lauterbach were absent from
the two sessions OF the Convention yesterday, bend
ing their attention exclusively 10 dividing the terri
tory in New-York County into Senate Districts OF
| contiguous territory. and possessed OF about the
same amount Of population. Before beginning tneir
| task they obtained a big map OF New-fork CITY
maps Of the present Assembly and Senate districts.
and statistics showing the population and the votes
cast at recent elections In each election district OF
! the county OF New-York- Then they went TO work
! They quickly discovered upon looking at the map
that David B. HILL Edward Murphy jr., Rich-
! ard Croker and William F. Sheehan In prepar-
| ing the Legislative Apportlonment act OF 1892 had
| gerryrnanded In ruthless manner the Senate as
| tricts OF NewYork With 10000 Republican voters
in the city every Senate District was so arranged
that by possibility could Republican be elected
| as Senator. Each OF NewYorks seven SEN
| ate districts must be represented at Albany by
Democrat accopding TO Messrs. Hill. Murphy. shee-
| han and Croker. There must be no representation
In the Legislature OF the Republican taxpayers OF
| New-York; men undoubtedly the owners OF three
fourths OF the property, outside OF the parks IN the
| great city.
| JUSTICE TO REPUBLICANS.
| New-York City will have twelve Senate districts
under the apportionment amendment. Now she has
| seven Senator's The Republican Constitutional
| Convention will thus grant the Gibraltar OF the
Democratic party five additional Senators. But Mr.
Root and Mr.. Lauterbach plan also 10 give the Re-
| publican party at least one representative from
New-York City The Republican Senate DISTRICT
| will be composed OF the northern half OF the Oh
IIId Assembly District ranging in the centre of the
| city from Fourteenth-st. 10 Twenty thrd-st. the
| old XIth Assembly District and the old AAlst AS
| semb,y District. The Republican Senate District
| thus may ran through the "brownstone' nelghoor-
hood In the centre Of Manhattan Island. from
Fourteenth-st to East Elghty-slxth-st. The Demo-
| cratic districts will range upon both sides OF this
| district, extending to the Hudson River, ana 10
| the East River upon either side Of II.
| 1t Is the design OF Mr.. Root and Mr.. Leuterbach
also have the Republican Senate District OF such
Assembly districts. NewYork County now possesses
| thirty Assembymen. In 1893 every man OF them
| was a Democrat. and accordingly, the 100000 Re-
| publican voters OF NewYork had no representation
In the Assembly. With New-York represented In
| the Assembly by five Assemblymen there
ought to be some provision In the Constitution by
| which legislative representation should be assured
in some slight measure to 10000 voters The APP
| portionment amendment contains provision which
| r. intended to insure the creation by the Board OF
Aldermen OF NewYork In 1895 of at least three Re-
| publican Assembly districts. This provision Is
declaration that In counties having than one
| Senate District the same number Of Assembly dis
trics shall be put In each Senate District as nearly
as may be-" 1t Is also provided that NO town. nor
| any block In city inclosed by streets or public
| ways shall be divided in the formation Of Assembly
districts, nor shall any district contain greater
| excess in population over an adjoining district in
the same Senate District than the population OF
town block therein adjoining such district TINS
OF Senate districts Of equal population, and to pre-
| vent gross gerrymandering ,u.
will be ready in every respec, for presentation to
the Constitutional Convention tomorrow. and the
Convention. It Is hoped, Will enter upon DEBATE
upon 1t the latter part Of the week
PROVISIONS OF THE AMENDMENT.
The apportonment amendment. so far as COM
pleted the New-York Senate districts not yet being
mapped out. Is given below:
Section . The Senate shall consist Of fifty mem
bers and the Senators shall be chosen Tor TWO
years. The Assembly shall consist Of 80 members
a sec ss g. The i State shall be divided into fifty dis
tricts to be called Senate districts, each OF which
shall choose Senator. The districts snail De
numbered from one to fifty. inclusive .
District number one ~ shall consist OF the coun-
ties OF Suffolk and Richmond
District number two % shall consist OF tue county
District number three 81 shall consist of that part
Of the county OF Kings comprising the fiIss e. ~,
District number four "a shall consist Of that part
the SGSny of Knss GGppGsns ana e
as wards or Of the city Of Brcckyn
OF the county Of Kings Comprising the Eighth 81
! Tenth O0 Twelfth QD, and Thirteenth W, "aIcs
Of the city Of Brooklyn and the late town of Graves
Distrc, number six 90 shall consist of that part
GsSsn.s ~ Tws1sis R coz and Twsn'y-'ee0nd
sounty Of Kings cOmPr s the s -Four
District number eight 81 shall consist Of that part
hf of SGss sns
ty9ninth dsS wards Of the city of Brooklyn and the
DDS District humber nine Cs) shall consist of that
Of os the q hngs 20
and Twenty-eishsh c2s wards Of the city OF Brook
comprise sstei parts Of the county Of NsxYork
OF District iss humber twenty topI D shall consist of
District ntmber twenty-five ts5, shall consist OF
| the counties OF Ulster and Greene.
| D,strIct number twenty-sx (26 shall consist OF
! | ,ha corntin, OF Delaware Chenango and Sullivan.
Dis,rict number twentyseven CD shall consist OF
! | the counties OF Montgomery. Fulton. Hamilton and
| Schohare. -. ,oo> -, .a..t.. ..
,h cdn,es Of saratoga schenectady and Wash
| ington. .o> ...u ..,.,s, .,
~" n,s,yIet number thirty DO shall consist OF the
s,,ct number thrty-one C3) shall consist Of the
, coun,Iss OF Clinton, Essex and Warren: =.
| DistrIct number th!rty-tvo 32) shall CONSIST OF
| ,ha Counties OF ST. Lawrence and Franklin
DistrIct number thirty-tkree 5S) shall CONSIST OF
| w. Counties OF Otse9o and Hsrkimer
| District number thlrtyfour go shall consist OF
| the county OF Oneida. - ~. -.
| counties OF Jefferson and LEWIS
Di.frict number thiry-six C5l snail CONSIST OF the
'I n.t,ict number thirtyseven CD shall consist OF