The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-27
FAIR PLAY In POLITICS.
Crumpacker's Plan for Enforcing
Fourteenth endm

w. G. Nicholas, in Chicago Post.
All the world likes to see fair play in any
sort of a struggle between contestants. In
trinsic love of fair play is the base of what
ever merit Judge Crumpackers plan pos
sesses for carrying out the terms of the
fourteenth amendment in the next congress
sional apportionment. Every two years
the two great parties in this country race
for the control Of the national House of
Representativ es. For the Republicans to
win they must carry LIS districts: for the
Democrats to win they must carry seventy
nine districts. While this statement may
not be strictly true, for all practical pur-
poses it is absolutely so. OF the 357 con-
gressional districts in the United States not
one can be carried by the Republicans with
out the actual casting of a majority of
votes, and, although such districts as those
in vermont are overwhelmingly Republican,
it is still necessary for Vermont Republic
ans to go to the polls and express their
preference. Tidal wave years like 1880,
when the Democrats carried a majority of
the districts of the North. show that SUBJ
stantially all of the districts north of Mason
and Dixon's line are open to contest and
that the Republicans, if they do not retain
popular confidence, are likely to lose in ev-
cry one of them. To carry Congress, then,
they must actually carry 179 congressional
districts.
With the Democrats the situation is vastly
different. The States of Alabama. Arkansas,
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina. Tennessee, Texas and
Virginia elect ninety representatives. They
are elected substantially without contest.
The unofficial list for the next House shows
that from those eleven States only five Re
publlcanS have been chosen-two In East
Tennessee, one in Texas and two in North
of Republicanism in North Carolina will
soon be a thing of the past il the present
plans for DISTINGUISHING the colored race by
State Constitution are carried out. These
eleven States have elected fewer Republic
ans than the one State of Illinois has elected
Democrats. AS a minority party the Re-
publicans cut little figure in the cotton
States, and do not in any real sense contest
the ground with the dominant party. TX
offset the five districts in the eleven States
where the Republicans have been success
full it should be recalled that there are thir-
ty-six districts more in the four border
States, about half Of which are as securely
Democratic, and Democratic without a con-
test, as those farther south. II may then be
campaign opens that the Democratic man
ayers may put down to their credit 100 dis
tricts. They do not need to lift a finger 10
carry them. If, in addition to this natural
start in the race, they can pick UP. eighty
districts out of the 257 which are really open
to contest their victory is won.
Illustrations of the effect of this unequal
contest upon our political history are plenti-
full. Last November the business interests
upon Republican success in the congressional
elections. Without that success hope OF
currency reform would have gone glimmer-
ing. Without that success the Free Silverites
would have organized the House from the
speakership down. and yet last November
| flee silver was a discredited issue. The
| Democrats were united upon no other
| Moreover, the Republicans profted by the
| conclusion Of a successful foreign war, ano
as negotiations of peace were still pending
the cry do not vote for SPAIN doubtless
added many votes. Times were reasonably
good and the evidences of returning prosper
ity abundant. There was every reason, eX-
cepting from the Populistic point of view
for Republican success. and no reason fol
Democracy. Yet, with all these things favor.
ing the Republicans. they carried the HOUSE
only by a terrifyingly narrow majority. They
1t is no wonder. then, that from 1874 TO 1894
a period of twenty years. the Republicans
carried only two Congresses and the Demo
To an extent the choice of a President and
the control of the United States Senate are
affected in the same way, although II doe:
House of Representatives. where the cleo
tons are made directly from congressional
ity of the American people were Democrats
and so one-sided was the case that in eigh'
out of ten elections the Democrats were
stronger than their opponents, no believer
I'm popular majority government would have
anything TO say. But the returns NEAR
nothing of the kind. The simple fact is thai
thirty-seven white men IN Mississippi have
the same political power as one hundred
| white men in Illinois. This is not baseC
/ upon the basis OF the number actually vot
ing, for then the disparity would be muct
| greater. But the congressional districts ar,
based upon total population. black anC
white. This total population of Mississippi
is 1.290, 600. The State has seven congress
sional districts. Its white population is 544,
Oo. or 7s.00 TO a congressional district. b,
the new Constitution. adopted nearly tel
| the entire country, only the white race Ia,
| any real political power, and therefore Their,
' u q representative AZ Congress for ever,