New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-07-17

gomerv Niagara. Oneida. Onondaga. Ontario.
Orange. Orleans, Oswego. Otsego. putnam hens
selaer. Rockland. ST. Lawrence sara sts,,,
ben sullivan Tioga Tompkins. Ulster. warren
Washington, Wayne. Wyoming and Yates
TOO MUCH TERRITORY FOR ONE AGENT.
It was stated at the beginning OF this letter
that the Republican State Committee ought 10
be changed in form In order TO increase Its eiii-
cheney as a political Tachine map OF the
Congress districts Of the State will reveal al
glance how faulty IS the present constitution o.
the committee Look at the XNlld congress
district. II includes the counties OF 81 Law
renee Hamilton, Fulton and Saratoga The as
trict is over one hundred miles In length. ana no
railroad crosses II from point TO point Hamll-
ton County Is a wilderness. separating 81 Inv
renee County from the other counties IN the os-
trict II Congress convention rs held IN either
St Lawrence, Fulton Saratoga counties many
Of the delegates have to travel by circuitous
railroad routes $50 miles 10 reach the place where
the convention is 10 be held
A TYPICAL CASE.
For several years William l.. Proctor. who IS
the busy superintendent OF big lumber com
pany at Ogdensburg. has been the member OF
the Republican State Committee from this dis
tr!ct. II is impossible for Mr.. Proctor. living at
Ordensburg and zeaousiy engaged IN numbering
| operations to know anything OF value about the
political condition of the counties at the other
end Of the district-Fulton and Hamilton.
mittee meets Mr. Proctor does not have the
power to inform his feow-members OF the com,
mittee Of the prospect. bright or otherwse OF
the Republican party ir the counties OF FUTON
and Saratoga. SO far as the Republican state
Committee IL concerned. It Is unacquainted year
~ with political conditions In those counties
OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE SAME CASE.
The same is true about the other big Congress
districts in the interior Of the state what
notion can the State Committeeman represent
! ing the XXIIId district. covering the counties
| OF Washington. Warren. Essex. Clinton ana
| Franklin. have OF the several affairs OF these
| counties? The district IL considerably larger
! than the state OF Rhode Island. 100 miles long
| by rs miles In breadth. Then there Is the
| XXVfth district. Mr.. Platts own. stretching
| from Stamford in the Catskills along the south
ern tier OF counties through the counties or Der
aware Chenango, Broome. Tcga and Tornpklhs
| 70 Ithaca. at the foot Of Ca"uga Lake. That
| also is district OF 100 miles In length by :.
| miles in breadth John F. Parkhurst is bright
| man but he is n lawyer with n big practice
| What can he know intimately living as he does
| at Bath In Steuben County, as state Com-
| mitteeman abCut the political drift In seneca
| County. at the other emu u '"e "Ni"'' Viz
Then there Is w. J. Glenn. the State Com
J mitteeman If the XXXIVth Congress district
| He lives at Cuba In Aliegany County. and there
fore In the eastern end Of that big congress as
| trct The large county Of Cattaraugus sepa-
| rates him from ChautauQua County at the west
ern end OF the district. Even where he lives. In
| the western part Of Allegany County, he can
travel for seventy-five miles westward before he
reaches Lake Erie and the borders OF the o's'iio'
IN "sADDLE-BAG" DISTRICT.
To one looking at a map Of the Congress dis
tricts OF the State. II Is also almost ludicrous
| TO think OF a member Of the State Committee
living for instance, In Yates County, giving
to his fellow-members OF the committee zee
| any information about State contest go
| ing on In Cortland County. separated from II:
as such a would be. by the counueS . OF
| Seneca Schuyler Cayuga and Tompkins ms
| "saddle-bag district" has within 1t the counties
| OF Yates Ontario. Wayne. Cayuga and Cor'-
| land II Is clearly out OF the question that one
| state Committeeman should De abIe 10 OVERSEE
| and direct the affairs Of the Republican party
| in a district containing so many counties ana
| covering such large and irregular territory.
TOO FEW RURAL MEMBERS.
To sum UP the defects in the form Of the Re-
publican State Committee. II has an un5ustly
large number OF city members and an un)us'ly
| small number OF rural members to represent the
| bulk OF the Republican vote. The Republican
party. 1t rs also apparent from the congress a,s
| trict man referred to- has too few agents In the
| interior OF the State. With scanty number OF
| agents In the interior and an unnecessarily large
| number In the cities. 1t Is no wonder that the
| party is observed. go .
Every politician knows that In the cities the
| city Republican committees actually manage
| campaigns for the Republican party and are the
sources OF It's information on political affairs, and
| that the city members OF the State Committee are
| therefore fifth wheels to the coach. Upon the
| other hand. In the rural counties the State Com
| mitteenen have great influence and can nave a
! most important influence toward getting out the
| Republican vote.
EVIL EFFECTS OF THE ARRANGEMENT
| The evil effect Of such a one-sded arrangement
| OF the State Committee as 1t at present exists IL
| that the committee has few lieutenants IN that
| part OF the State where they are most needed and
where the Republican vote Is centred and an un-
necessarily large Number In the cities where the
| Democratic vote Is massed II is an old maxim
| with veteran politicians that you shoud nrst