The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-27
Schemes to Proven Gerrymandering.
To the Editor Of the indianapolis Journal:

the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
There never has been a time since this
State was organized that the electoral fran
chise in some districts was not materially
more potent in legislative affairs than the
electoral franchise in others. In many in
stances the power of a thousand voters in
one section of the State has been greater
than the power of two thousand in another.
If such a law should be enforced at the
polls. that is. IL one person should be al
lowed to vote twice because he belonged to
one political party, while his neighbor Of
the opposite party was allowed to vote but
once, we would all fly TO arms. To put a
stop 10 such iniquity as a consummation de-
.voutly to be wished" To that end / respect
fully submit the following propositions:
FlrSt-Provide that the Legislature, in fix
ing legislative and congressional districts.
shall begin at the northeast corner of the
state and pass westward along the north
line of the State to the west line and then
east to the east line, and SO on. making the
districts as nearly square as practicable and
as equal in population as can be done with
out dividing polling precincts. Under this
the districts could hardly exceed one thou
sand.
Second-Provide that nominees for the
Legislature and for Congress shall reside in
districts TO be fixed by the Legislature, but
that they shall be voted for throughout the
entire State; that each political party shall
each party SO elected shall, within twenty
days after election, meet at the State capital
AMI choose from their own number the per-
sons to represent them In the Legislature or
in Congress, as the same may be; that each
party shall have such a proportion OF the
representatives in the Legislature and in
nominees bears rss to the whole sIes average vera vote
of the State for the nominees of all the
parties.
l submit that either of those methods
dering. The second scheme seems to me to
be preferable. Under 1t. IL party A should
poll $4,000 votes. partyB 10000 and party
nees of party A would eject forty-six Of the
one hundred Representatives in the Legis-
lature, those Of party b forty-four and those
OF party c ten, and each would elect one
half that number of Senators. Under the
same supposition party A would nave six
Congressman, party d six AMI party c one.
jority at the polls would always a have a
majority CT one in the Legislature and In
Congress. The minority at the polls would
tives. Another feature in this second scheme
Is worthy Of consideration, namely, the as
sembly of elected nominees would be apt TO
sentatives. If any one Of their members
should be pre-eminent his selection would be
almost a certainty. There would be no dan
ger that the nominees would choose un-
aa Mckinley or Crisp. There would be a
double selection, or wedding out of Mediocre
members, which would be beneficial. Before
either of these plans could be put into law
it would be fecessary to amend the Constitu-
ton. But that can be done II a majority
of the electors deem either of these plans
or any similar ones desirable. Many other,
and perhaps better, schemes may be sug-
gested to correct this old evil. i merely pre-
sent these suggestions for what they are
worth. JOHN M. VAN FLEET.
Elkhart, Ind, March q.