New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-20

,rroy . STAFF CORRESPONDENT or Trr TRIBUNE
r,roira Oct l9-Of the thirty-four singularlv
.,soual and Unbalanced Congress districts into
-.h,ch the state is now divided under the terms
=, tho Democratic gerrymander of 1892 this one
emo XXIXth happens to conform In population
.os, precisely to the ratio oc representation
AVID nv the Federal statute. The ratio chosen
hy Congress in 1891 was l73,9o1. while the popu-
,,,,on Of the four counties which compose this
district Chemung. Steuben. Schuyler and Seneca
Ct. up bv the census Of 1890 to 174G76 In the
vain the inequalities and determinations Of the
rccent Democratic apportionment have borne
c,b great severity on the counties OF central and
,rostern New YJrk. the chief strOnghOis OF Re
r,hllcanism in the State and the accidental or
Intentional eXactitude shown in the construction
~ This district only emphasizes the garing in
,,stice done 10 the more pronounced Republican
constituencies which surround it. in which the
excess Of population over the legal ratio in
creases steadily from 5000 in the XXXIVth 10
o. 900 in the XXXth. $1,000 in the XXVIth. and
1900 in the XXVIIIth. 1t is apparent. more
aver on q closer view that the XXIXth Congress
District which has made somewhat
niciously dentica! in territory with the
yXVIIth Senate District was cut by The
Democratic managers at Albany more with a
view t. meeting certain personal ana partisan
exigencies than with any design of set
ting stray example OF equity mathe-'
NAUTICAL precision in apportionment. There
are only two Democratic counties in central and
western New-York: Chemung. Of which this city
Is the seat Of government lying midway in the
southern tier and Seneca fifty miles or more to
the north. impedded in the heart of the lake
region. Geographically and commercially. Che
susquehanna basin. into which it's waters drain
through the ChemunS River Seneca. the
other hand stretching nOrthward between Lakes
Seneca and Cayuga, almost t. the border of on
tario. has all its natura! affiliations with Roches-
Ter and the counties of the Genesee Valley To
bring together these two isolated Democratic
constituencies in one Senate and Congress Dis
trict limited as far possible in popua ton.
was the undoubted policy of the trainers of the
present apportionment. Up To 1892 Seneca and
Chemung had formed with Schuyler and Tomp-
kins the old Elmira Congress District so-called
always close, but usually Republican. ON the
other hand. in the arrangement % Senat" dis
tricts the two had been hopeessly separates.
Chemung being Joined with the Overwhelming
Republican counties OF Steuben 9nd Allegany
MEMORIES OF THE ROCKWELL THEFT
By the aid Of some ingenious election frauds
IN Seneca County. the old Congress district was
carried in 1890 by the Democratic candidate
Hosea H. Rockwell Of this city. who received
on the face Of returns which were afterward
shown 10 be clearly spurious. His Republican
opponent. Colonel Noyes Of Seneca County, car
ried the contest into the courts and then before
the House of Representatives at Washington.
The Democratic Elections Committee Of he
House at the head # which Colonel Charles
T. OFerran. now Governor OF virginia, decided
Mr. Rockwell's title TO be invalid and favored the
seating Of Colonel NOyes Senator Hill. the
political patron Of the endangered Rockwell en-
tered actively into the fight and brought all his
I,A, hear Hofa HI. fiO,,e Tpr1-
mittee. He succeeded. after a bitter struggle in
the House. made memorable by Mr. Cobb's IA
nous inquiry: Mr.. Speaker. where was | at?"
and by the fiery OFerrals comparison Of Mr.
Cleveland and Mr. Hi the hon and the fox
OF Democratic politics. Doubtless. whom the
apportionrnent of 1892 came TO be made the
old Congress district. for which Rockwell was
then sitting. would have been retained intact
but for the embarrassing circumstance that
its population fell more than $4,000 short Of the
new ratio Of representation. REIMBURSEMENT
therefore effected by shifting Tompkins County.
with its 80 900 population. into the already over
crowded BroOme- Chenango district and by alb
sorbng instead Steuben County. with A pOpula-
ton Of 900, which just filed out the altered
Congressional ratio. new Senate district was
framed on exactly the same lines, and II
generally understood that the race for one seat
or the other would be made by the Hill leader
Of Schuyler County, Mr.. Niece, rich coal
and railroad operator. with large interests at
Watkins. the county seat Of Schuyler, as well
as al Corning. in Steuben. Mr.. MCGEE was
nominated last year as delegate Large to
pected defeat al the polls has somewhat chilled
his political ambition. The HXlNth Congress
District has evidently been carved out. however
in anticipation OF his candidacy. Otherwise, IN
the interest of greater equality among the dis
tricts in this portion Of the state there IS no
possible reason why Yates County should not
have been detached from It's neighbCrs in the
congested XXVIIIth and added to this much
smaller constituency. Such transfer would
raise the total population Of the NHIHth 70
$4,000 and reduce the population OF the
XXVIIIth TO 1872 600 But the equalization would
also add over 1000 votes to the net Republlcan
strength in the former district without seri-
ously affecting the Republican majority In the
latter and this fact alone IL sufficient TO &C
count for the failure Of the trainers Of the Dem
ocratic gerrymander t. strike so patent and rea-
sOnablc an average between these two con-
tiguous and easily convertible districts.
as 1t is. the natural Republican majority IN
the new XXIXth District may safely be put al
from 1900 to 1000 In 1892 many circumstances
combined to give the Republican Electoral ana
Congressional ticket an abnormal majority oW.
ing to the open disaffection Of the followers OF
Senator Hill Nj Cleveland lost this county
Chemung by 749 votes although the Democratic
majority has been for years something between
$50 and 200 Schuyler County. the early home
OF Senator Hill where an anti-Cleveland ieeilng
also showed itself, gave General Harrison a ma
Jorty Of 924 Seneca County. always close. was
carried by Mr. Cleveland by 81 majority while
Steuben. the controlling factor In the district,
rolled up n majority Of 2.2s9 for the Republican
electors President Harrison carried the Wnoic
constituency by 1856. The Republican candidate
Tor Congress Charles W. Gilet. OF SteuDeh
County. an almost even race with the frcsl-
Genital ticket. getting a majority OF 3@ Inc
wholly adventurous character OF this sweeping
victory was shown a year later. when. as a re-
suit OF the desperate effort Of the Democratic
State machine TO sustaia Judge Maynards can
didacy. the Democratic majority in this county
was pushed as high as the VIGOROUSLY corrupt
political methods current here could carry H.
The swing OF the pendulum was sudden and vio-
lent. Maynard carried this county by l,2OS votes
over Bartlett while the Democratic State ticket
headed by Cord Meyer. received a majority OF
lzS Seneca County went for Meyer by 90
votes and the Republican majority In Schuyler
Yell from 924 10 6SS. S;cuben on the contrary
increased ITS Republican majority from 22o9 to
[in, and Palmer carried the district by net
majority Of 1881. Baxter C. Smelzer OF Scnuy-
Ter, the Republican candidate for state Senator,
who was opposed by Democrat Of great per
In, lictr ri