The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-02-04
haw, Richland, Sumter and Clarcn-

shaw, Richland, Sumter and Claron-
don. VII
Saluda District--Lnur"ns, Green.
WOOD, ,Ncwbcrry, Saluda, Lexington
and Aiken. VIII
Northern District-Spartanbu
Cherokee, Union, York. Chester and
! Lancaster.
Piedmont District-G rcenvillc, Pick
ems, Oconec, Anderson and Abbevillc.
! Speaking OF this bill, Mr. Patton said
70 ~ teElStcr reporter that he was
more llrmly impressed with tho belief
tnat the people OF South Carolina
wEh"d 10 have tho State rcdistrictcd
the moro the matter was discussed.
| and tho nero ho inquired into it.
Ills plan provides for the formation
OF districts by grouping what nc calls
'hatural divisions OF the State In
regard to the novel feature of giving
the districts names instead OF numbers.
Mr.. Patton said that such designation
would prevent the confusion Of Judi
clal Circuits and Congressional Dis
trlcts. Tho name "Pcc Dec District"
would immediately suggest the location
and the counties composing it. In ad-
ulIl0n 10 that, Their natural advantages
would DC more homogeneous in their
composition, made up OF people, as one
y
and feeling.
SO far as the matter Of designation
.. district is concerned, there is moth
ing, he said, in regard to it in the acts
OF Congress. 1T is only required that
Cogrcssmcn should be elected from
uistricts composed as nearly Us posi- |
bic OF the same nun Der OF Inhabitants.
ana that the counties or subdivisions
sEould be contiguous. by the present
arrangement tho law is not Observed |
!or the districts vary in population |
from about 100000 in the smallest 10
ov"rr2O0.000 in the largest. Bv the
present scheme that variation would
be reduced tx about 10000 in the
smallest to 10000 IN The largest, uc-
cOrulnG TO the census Of 1880.
Nv. Patton argues that the districts,
as provided in his bill, will BE- much
more compact: much more nearly Cuua!
III area. No county is divided between
Two districts, as is done under The
present arrangement, and each county
would then exercise its full inllucncc.
lie also cal attention TO the fact that
the three SeapOrts of the State are,
under the present arrangement, in tEo
Same district and the three largest
aitics in the State, outside of Charles
ton, are IN the same, which district
contains about onc-iourth OF tho white
population OF tho State. This mani
testify should not be. Under tho pres
rnt plan he claims that not only 10 the
matter OF population more eQuitably
| adjusted, but another evil is reformed
The only two districts containing IA
very large number of inhabitants have
| the smallest number Of qualified cleo
tors. who, OF course, make the selection
| of the Congressman.
| II bou hcop &b,@ @)>a ,>,,,
| ter Of redstrictipg be postponed until
tho census Of 1900. TO this Mr.. Patton
says that If new apportionmcnt is
| made 1t would not be until 1908, and It
would be worse than foolish to postpone
change, the necessity for which Is
felt in the present, for six years.
So far as the change would affect the
contests now pending in Congress, Mr.
Patton does not think that tho most
in, cli0us man could find any argument
against the seating Of mem bers- elect by
reason OF tho re-divisiOn into legal and
proper districts. Gerrymandering, he
argues, is always an of ensive manner of
partlsanship and any excuse that might
nave existed st the time the present
division waS made has ceased to exist.
u Is also very much more reasonable
to expect that our Congressman, elected
rom districts that comply with the
act Of Congress. would have a much
better chance Of being seated than
whom elected as they now are, under
the present unreasonable, unjust and
grotcsQue divisions.
As TO tho registered voters in the
several districts as proposed, it Is only
necessary to say that tho white electors,
as shown by the official records, so far
as are accessible, as woll as by the vote
IN the last general election, arc in an
overwhelming ajority in each dis
trlct, there being only ono county in
the State whore negroes have the ma
Jority OF registered votors,-Georgc-
town and in that by a very narrow
r.argin. Mr.. Patton's bill provides for
the distrcting Of the proposed counties.
n case they arc not formed, he says
their component townships would fall
back into the district OF the old county
to which they belonged.