New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-20
PRICE THREE CENTS.
APPORTIONMENT IN ORDER.
THE NEW ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS MUST BE
MARKED OUT THIS SUMMER.

DUTY DEvOLvED UPON BOARDS OF SUPER
vIsoRs AND THE NETWORK BOARD OF
ALDERMEN BY THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
(rRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUSE1
Albany. May l9-The new Constitution imposes
upon every Board OF Supervisors and in New
York City upon the Board Of Aldermen, the duty,
on the second Tuesday of June this year, OK divid-
ing every county which has more than one Assem-
blyman into Assembly districts "as nearly equal
In number of inhabitants, excluding aliens, as
may be- of convenient and contiguous territory In
as compact form as practicable. each OF whicn
shall be wholly within Senate District formed
under the same apportionment equal to the num-
ber Of members of Assembly to which such county
shall be entitled"
When the Assemblymen of the present Lesislae-
ure departed for their homes Thursday last
their main thought about this approaching
division Of the Assembly districts in every county
and the consequent changes In the boundaries OF
their present districts. Most OF them are candi-
dates for reelection. and therefore greatly in
terested to know what the political character OF
the Assembly districts will be into which their
residences will be thrown by the action OF tho
various official bodies which will mark out the
new boundaries With the increase in the number
Of Assemblymen to be elected from 1913 to 15o and
the increased number OF Assemblymen assigned to
n large number Of the counties. there must needs
be great changes. Existing political relations will
be broken up, and the present Assemblymen Will
have TO make many new friends in order to bring
about their denomination.
Apparently the leaders Of the Democratic party
have not abandoned the hope Of maintaining the
reapportIonment by the fraudulent Democratic
Legislature Of 1892 since a suit has been brought
in the courts by q prominent Democrat to re-
strain the Republican Beard Of Supervisors OF
Albany County from reapportioning the four AS
sembly districts assigned to this county by the
new Constitution. This suit was brought three
weeks ago and was argued on thursday last
before Judge Alton b. Parker. a Democrat at
Kingston. The Albany County Board OF super
visors were represented by Gilbert ID. b. Has
brouck. Deputy Attorney-General. and by Arthur
L. Andrews. The arguments made by the Demo-
cratic attorneys in brief. were that the Consti-
tutional Convention OF 1894 was Itself an illegal
body from the fact that II ought to nave done
its work in 1857 having been called in 1885. ana.
therefore. had right TO meet In 1894 Ihls plea
Is exceedingly refreshing when recalls the
circumstance that a Democratic Governor DaVii
r I'M. in 1887 vetoed the act passed by the
Republican Legislature providing for the eiection
of the delegates TO the Constitutional Conven-
ing Of a convention.
Moreover. It was Democratic Governor ana
LEGISLATURE In 1898 that passed the act under
which the delegates TO the Constitutional Coh-
yention were elected The Democratic party thus
formally recognized the right of the people u
have such a convention held. At that time tn9
managers Of that party thought 1t would surely
have large majority in the convenuon' ou'
the political revolution OF 1893 overthrew all tnee
plans. and the Republicans gained possession
Of the convention And then the people approved
the Constitution submitted to them. Is the Court
Of Appeals likely to overthrow the Constitution
accepted by the people OF this State? 1t seems
most improbable.
The interior counties OF the State gain largely
in representation in the Assembly but so aiso
do the cities of New-york and BROOKLYN. ~
may have been Republican Constitutional On On,
vention but no injustice was done the usuaIly
democratic cities OF New-York and Brooklyn.
New-Yorks Assemblymen were increased IN
number from thirty to thirty-fve. and Brooklyn's
from eighteen to twenty-one The gains OF the
various counties In Assemblymen are SHOWN III
the table given below -