The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-26
It GROWS RANKER
DiSfranChiSeme7t Act Makes
the People Hot.
WAS NO JUSTICE IN 1T
Representation of 5000 Peo-
pie Knocked Out.

The injustice Of the action of the board
of county commissioners in their gerry
when fully understood by the voters
whom the action disfranchises, will like
missioner more harm than good, If the
sentiment expressed by many of their
Not one Of the fusion office holders about
the court house yesterday would venture
an opinion on the legality of the gerry
mander, nor would they attempt to up
hold the action of the board in making
such a rank move at this time. The
fact is, the action of Mr.. Howard and
Mr.. Wilson, in forcing the issue in face
of the protest of the other commissioner,
Mr.. Sealock, is considered wholly with
out reason, and the Indignation of the
voters of the First ward, who have been
deprived of their right to express them
selves in the election, will doubtless be
shown in a very material way when the
time comes. Sam Amidon, and possibly
Judge Dale, are the only two who claim
that the action of Howard and Wilson is
legal, and Amidon advised it in the face
of the established adviser of the state.
Attorney General GODDARD says the ac-
ton is illegal. Judge Webb, who re-
vised the statutes of 1897, and who is
considered one of the best lawyers in the
OF oh,
held in law, and has since said, in ans
wer to letters upon the subject, that he
had no reason for changing his position
on the way he wrote it in the statute
books. No one can say that the opin-
ions of either GODDARD or Webb were in
luenced in any manner whatever by
politics
The commissioners districts are now
in no wise equal in their population. Be-
fore the commissioners gerrymandered
them TO suit one candidate, whom they
consider desperately in need, the districts
were as evenly divided as to population
and area as was possible to make them.
Before the gerrymander the three dis
tricts stood as follows in population:
First district ..........................1 3 $50
Second district ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 331
Third district ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1913
The population of the First ward, which
the commissioners set over into the Sec
ond district, is 3,S0S, which, added to the
former population of that district gives
the district 7,137, while it cuts the First
commissioner district down to 9,724 The
disparity of population is thus shown by
the following figures:
Second district NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. T,137
Ihlrd district OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1888
The attorney general says 1t is beyond
the power of the commissioners to ar
range the commissioners districts in any
such manner. Sam Amidon says the
commissioners are correct in manipulate
ing the boundaries of the districts to
suit their Demo-Pop candidate for COM
missioner. who is trying to make win
ming race on platform that his own
party is ashamed to publish or even talk
about, and has to be bolstered up with a
questionable action of the commissioners
and a gerrymander that is slur and an
injustice to the electors of his district
The voters would like to know why
Deacon Wilson Joined in such a deal. 1t
Is known that he had not favored it at
all when the gerrymander was talked of
before. Mr.. Howard was always in favor
of it, and Mr.. Sealock was mon-commit-
tai, desiring. he said, to be sure of the
legality Of the move. But Mr.. Wilson
gave the opinion right along that such
an action would not carry. When it
finally came up Mr.. Wilson voted for it.
1t is said that he had to be shown about
the county printing matter. and so things
in that respect were agreed upon to suit
him and he went over with Howard and
Amidon.