The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-26
COUNTRY DELEGATIONS A r E
AGAINST 1T.
The County Boards Special COM
mittee Presents Three Plans to the
Full Board-Farmers From Diff
ferent Parts of the County OPP
pose Any Change Hear no
Complaint in the Countrywide
City Asks the Board to Deal
Fairly.

Friday afternoon to consider the redlS-
tricting of the county. About twenty
farmers were present, representing
several parts of the county. They
were generally opposed to redistrict-
ing. The city was represented by
Messrs. Shoemaker, Currier, Haynes
and Klein, of the board of trade COM
mittee.
Chairman Graf called the meeting
to order at two o'clock, and the COM
mittee on redistricting presented the
following report:
Your committee appointed at the
last meeting Of this board to prepare
plan or plans for rediStrlctlng the
county submit for your consideration
their plans numbered L, and 8.
Your committee could not agree on
either of the three plans. Each one
of the three plans equaliZes the popu-
lation of the five commissioner dis
, tricts as far as it is practicable so TO
do according to the last census.
ROBERT ROBERTS.
ROBT. S. HUGHES.
CHAS. GEAF.
The three plans were read over by
Commissioner Roberts, and explained.
They were as follows:
Plan One.
First district-Jamestown Lime,
Mankato town, First and Second
wards Five voting precincts. Pop
ulation, 6,8S7.
Second district-Third, Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth wards. Four pre-
cincts. Population, 1924.
Third district-Cambria, Butternut
Valley, Lincoln, Ceresco,J udson, Lake
Crystal, Garden City, Rapidan, South
Bend Nine precincts. Population,
6,576.
Fourth district-Vernon, Lyra
Pleasant Mound, Shelby, Sterling,
Mapleton. Six precincts. Popu,
iation, 6,265.
Fifth district-Danville, Medo, Nc
Pherson, LeRay, Decoria, Beauford.
Six precincts. Population, 6,273.
Plan Two.
This plan is the same as No. 1, ex-
cept,that South Bend is placed in the
second district. The population of
the second district would be 1880, and
of the third, $500.
Plan Three
First district-First ward. Lime,
Jamestown, LeRay, Mankato. Pop
ulation $3.50.
Second district-Second, Third,
Fourth and Fifth wards. Population,
7,441.
Third district-SiXth ward, South
Bend, Judson, Cambria, Butternut
Valley, Lake Crystal, Lincoln, Rapi-
dan. Population, COIL.
Fourth district-Ceresco, Pleasant
Mound, Vernon Center, Shelby, Lyra,
Sterling, Garden City. Population,
6,216.
Fifth district-Decoria, Mcpherson
Beauford, Medo, Mapleton, Danville
Population, 6,156.
Adam Arnold said that the country
was willing that the city should have
two commissioners, and the country
keep three. He wanted to know the
population of the First and Second
wards as against that of the three
towns in the proposed first district
under plans Nos. one and two.
Com. Graf said that the two wards
had 3.S79 population, and the three
towns 2,99S.
County Attorney Hughes was called
upon to state the law, and did so. 1t
says that the districts shall be Of as
nearly equal population as possible
Whether this applied only to the frs,
division or to every redistricting is {
question. The districts must bt
bounded by township and ward lines
and be composed of contiguous terri
tory. In regard to redistricting now
the language of the statute is vague
and he would not like to give ar
opinion. The board may redistrict
the county after each census. ltmight
not be necessary, and it gives the
board authority in case changes il
population make it necessary. In case
of a change in voting precinct, 81
that part was in one district and
mart in another, it would be the duty
of the board to redistrict SO al
to nut it entirely into one district
Com. Hannay asked whether the
board was obliged to act under pres
emit conditions,
Mr.. Hughes replied that it was hi!