New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-22

WRONG TO BE FUNDAMENTALLY H-
BROOKLYN JUSTLY DEALT wITH-GERRY-
MANDERs PREVENTED.
,-,,, ruy REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUNkt
Albany. Oct. Ex-senator Hill as the Demo-
cratic candidate for Governor is putting forth
all the strength of the Democratic party to de-
feat the proposed amendment Of the Consti'u-
ton adopted by the Republican majority OIL the
Constitutional Convention reappoTuohhg '"e
Senate and Assembly districts. This amendment
must be defeated. he says, If nothing else Is ac-
complished at the November election
Mr.. HIS uncommon anxiety 10 defeat the
legislative apportionmen; amendment Is oaseu
upon a personal motive--his desire for re-eiec-
ton as United States Senator In 1891. Even IL
a,ected Governor the present fall. he wishes TO
be reelected Senator in 1897. when MS present
term expires His hostility to the proposed con-
stitutional amendment is not based upon any
conviction that It is unjust, but solely upon 'he
,housb, that II upsets his own Legislative Ger
rymander Act of 1892. and provides suihciehtiy
fair representation TO the Republican party 10
rive Il a chance with good candidates, TO carry
the LEGISLATURE Mr.. Hill also, having s'oeh
the Legislature OF 1892 wishes TO retain possess
sion OF some of the property which ne then ac-
ouired One Of these bits Of stolen )ewelry was
the Legislative Gerrymander Act win II upon
the statute books. Mr.. Hill hopes. AFTER 'he
present "virtuous spasm" Of the voters OF 'he
State has passed away, TO be easily re-electeu
as United States Senator; and also 10 pri"s
about the reelection in 1899 of his chum' EDWARD
Mummy ir Of Troy. as United States Senator
By 1899 possibly the murder Of Robert Ross' 'he
Republican watcher at the polls in Troy Dy one
of Murphys hee.ers may be forgotten
Mr. Hin is prolific in assertions that the legis-
lative apportonment amendment is-unfair' ana
conveniently forgets the unjust character or the
present apportionment Of the Senate and Assem-
bly,. made by the Democratic Legislature OF 1917
The legislative apportionment amehdheh' Is
not unfair and the Gerrymander Act OF 1857
ought TO be repealed by the people, by their Vot-
ing for the legislative apporuonment amenu-
ment Mr.. Hill also protests against All! III
crease Of the number of Senators and Asseiho!
men II is sufficient 10 reply TO that argument
that several state Constitutions early IN the
century provided for increases in the NUMBER Oh
members of the LEGISLATURE The Constitution
of 1921 for instance, provided that the NUMBER
cf Senators should be thrty-two. and that there
should be 100 Assemblymen; and, further that
the number of Assemblymer should be Increased
after each census at the rate of two yearly
until they reached the number OF 100. All the
constitutional conventions which nave peeh helu
in the State have made appointments Oh 'he
legislative districts. An apportionment was
made in 1888 when 1t was adopted IN lS-l "heh
- was adopted in 1916 when it was adopted. and
In 1867 when il rejected.
The increase of the number Of Senators from
80 to So and Of the Assembymen from lZS 10
100 was made necessary by the increase OF popu-
,at,on in the State, and also by the fact that
with such an arrangement fairer DIVISION o'
me Senate and Assembly districts. could be
ofG
two was fixed in 1901, when the State had
nonu,ation Of only 600 OOO The provision in the
Constitution that no county shall be divided In
the creation Of a Senate district has always I'M
nosed heavy duty upon those engaged IN ar
ranging the Senate districts. II has been oiii-
cult under that requirement not to leave large
bodies Of voters unrepresented in the Legislature
or TO evade creating districts Of unequal size IN
po,nt Of population. A Senate of fifty members
Il was found. left fewer unrepresented voters
and accordingly it was adopted
UNDOING A WRONG.
II has been well said however. by Zion r.
Brown Of WATERFOWL. the chief author OF the
plan of apportionment adopted. that notwlth-
standing the precedent for apporionment. the
Constitutional Convention OF this year woLLu
not have submitted an apportOnment but Tor
tie gross unfairness of the present apportion-
ment made at a special session OF the Legis,a
ture in 1897 winch sat pHIN wv ""~
not debate the subject at all Mr. Brown also
does not state that the enumeration upon whch
that gerrymander legislative act was based
was taken in midwinter when a complete CEN
sus Of the inhabitants Of rural negnporhoous
cannot be obtained owing to the lncleHlenI
weather. II is notorious that the Denocrdtc
snumerators neglected to do thorough work In
the Republican rural districts, and look niue
mains TO discover the allen vote IN the Dem
ocratic cities The population of the Democrauc
,-...es was thus exaggerated, while that or the
Republican rural neighborhoods was undeIes'l-
mated basis thus furnished Tor giVihs
the Democratic cities larger representation
than that to which they are entitled, ana OF
diminishing the rightfd representation VI inc
rural Republican counties 49, IT.,
The evidence Of the gerrymander OF the legisla-
tive districts by Mr.. Hill IS found in the cleo
ton returns Of the State ever since Ii was maze
Nothing is clearer than that the Dernocrauc
cities were favored at the expense OF the Repub-
licsn rural counties. An examination OF the
election returns Of 1893, for instance, shows that
tho total vote cast in the seven senate DIS
tricts represented by the seven Democratic Sen
stors from New-York City was as follows:
r,.,r,o, Senator Tota. Vote
With. .Ahearn 90 So' o.
IXth.. Sullivan o.,
Xth.. ODonnen 90 =.
XIth... w OH
XIIth.. .OSuvan ~ 70
XIIIth. Guy % ,N
XVIII. Cantor -'
Total vote
This vote should be compared with that OF the
total vote cast in seven Senate Districts repre-
scented by as many Republican Senators. wh'
represent rural constituencies. Below Is ina
81 in