The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-12-19
WHO Is TO BLAME 2

Ane DemOCrhls OF GennsylVanla
labor under exceptionally great odds
in the tussle for congressman. For
instance, at the late election the Re.
pnblicans got congressman for ev.
cry 1900 Republican votes. The
Democrats got one for every 164,454
Democratic votes. The State Sena tie
is the most magnificent bit of gerry.
Wandering in the union. The Demo.
Gratis are allowed a senator for every
$4,000 Democratic votes, while the
Republicans get one Cor every $4,000
Republican votes. This can hardly
be called representative governm ent.
- Vindicator.
The above sorrowful wall is just
now finding its way into the columns
of all the esteemed Democratic pa.
pers of the State, and since it is so
thoroughly answered by an article in
the Philadelphia Press, we give it in
full, as follows, and would ask, who
is TO blame?
AS the time approaches for the
Legislature to undertake the reap.
pointment Of the Congressional, Sen.
atorIal and Legislative districts of
the State, some of our Democratic
contemporaries are breaking out in
the ridiculous way that long since
became familiar. The large increase
10 the Republican vote and the great
decline in the Democratic vote at the
late election affords them exaggerated
opportunities.
One Of these Democratic newspa.
pers, taking the fact that in the com.
ing State Senate the Republicans will
have torty'three members and the
Democrats only seven, figures on the
basis Of the vote cast at the Novem.
Der election that it required but 49,.
367 votes to elect Republican Sen.
ator, while 47,629 were required to
elect Democratic Senator. To put
it in another way, they say that 574,.
sol votes elected forty.three Senators,
while 333, ,404 votes elected but seven
Twenty five of the fifty Senators,
however, were elected two years ago,
although that does not essentially In
terfere very much with whatever point
is sought to be made by our Demo
cratic contemporaries. What they
want to make out is that the appor.
tionment is to blame.
That is not the fact. The truth is
that the Democratic party has been
steadily losing in districts which we're
originally Democratic, and which
we're announced Democratic when
the apportionment was made. As
parties were divided when the exist.
ing Senatorial apportionment was
passed there were nineteen districts
that could be fairly accounted Dem.
ocratic, and there were half a dozen
others which that party has at one
time or other carried. Under the
present apportionment the Democrats
have bad twenty of the fifty members
sitting at one time. If they could
have retained the districts which they
always carried formerly they would
have had as many 10 the coming Sen.
ate, and it would have taken as many
Republican votes to elect a Senator
as Democratic votes.
But the Democrats have steadily
lost their districts. Bucks aud Mont.
gomery counties have been taken
away from them; they have been
defeated in the Schuykill districts,
which was always conceded TO them !;
they are no longer able to carry the
Luzerne' Lackawanna districts; a
Republican has been elected in the
Clearfield district, so long represented
by William A. Wallace and where ev.
cry county was formerly Democratic
Westmoreland, at one time strongly
Democratic, has not elected a Dem.
cratic Senator for several terms; the
rOck.ribbed Democratic Fayette.
Green district has this year elected q
Republican for the first time, and SO
has the Cumberland.Adams district
This is not the fault of the apportion-
ment.
10 addition to this we remind oul
complaining friends that several other
hitherto strongly Democratic districts
were saved To than bV the skin M