Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-12-30
NEW APpoRTIoNMENT.
How the Counties should be Arrang-
/ ed Into Congregational Districts-A
/ Suggestion.

/ Suggestion.
Special to the Register
lMARTINSBURG, W. VA, Dec %
/ While there are number of bills
| pending before congress looking to-
/ ward the apporti0nment of the mem
bership of the lower house among the
/ several States, under the recent CEN
/ sus, it is definitely settled that West
Virginia will get an additional mem
Der in that body as all the measures
/ being considered make provision for
/ FIVE congressman from our State
Another proposition embodied in all
| the bills under consideration is to dis
] courage and as far as possible, put
i stop to what is known in political par.
/ lance as Gerrymandering, a practice
heretofore frequently INDUCED in by
all parties, whereby an advantage IS
sought by means of arranging districts
/ without regard to either contiguity or
/ c0mpaetness.
That no party has even engaged in
this business without having met final
I defeat because Of it, has become TO be
part OF the political history of our
/ country, for the simple reason that the
people are ever ready TO condemn any
/ measure not based upon justice and
! fair dealing.
At the coming session of our legisla-
/ ture, the five congressional districts,
/ to be provided for soon after the re-
assembling OF congress. when the hoii-
! day recess terminates, will have to be
arranged, and no doubt, a number of
plans for this work will be submitted
and advocated, both by those who may
entertain aspirations to represent their
respective districts in congress, and by
others who only seek to discharge a
public duty, by endeavoring to arrange
the districts in a fair and disinterested
manner.
For the latter, two questions are inn
portant for consideration: the geogra-
ply of the State and the population OF
the proposed congressional districts.
\ Having entered into an examination
of these matters, respectfully submit
the following plans for the construc-
ton of the FIVE districts to be provided
for by the legislature, having consider
ed only the cOntiguity and compactness
of the territories sought to De included
in each as well as attempting to appor-
ton as equally as possible. the popu
In the first district | would place the
counties Of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio,
Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Peasants,
Marion and Monongalia: nine counties.
compactly arranged. and with a total
population of 190,336.
In the second district l suggest the
counties of Wood, Richie, Doddridge
Harrison Writ, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lew
is, Roane, Braxton and webster, eleven
counties, with a total population OF
1911 ops, and with the counties also
compactly arranged.
For the third district, | suggest the
counties of Jackson Putnam, Kama
wha, Clay Nicholas, Pocahontas
Greenbrier, Monroe and Summers, ten
counties, with a total population of
1914 and embracing a compact as
well as a symmetrical territory.
In the fourth district I would place
the counties of Cabeil, Wayne. Lin
coin, Boone, Logan, .Mingo Mcdowell,
Wyoming, Mercer, Raleigh and Fay
cite, eleven counties with total popu-
lation Of 1879, 1856, and for the fifth dis
trict l would place the counties Of Up
shur, Randolph, Pendleton. Barbour
Tucker, Eaylor, Preston, Grant, Miner
al, Hampshire, Hardy, Morgan Berke-
~ and Jefferson, fourteen counties,
with a total population of 1S9, $50.
The total population Of West ViT
ginia according to the latest census re
turns, is given at 958.800, which diyid
ed by five would give to each congress
sional district 191, 100, but this exact
proportion cannot possibly be main
tanned in arranging these districts, ex-
cept by running the district lines
through several OF the counties, which,
of course, should not be done. In the
plan now proposed these differences
are more manifest in the third district
where the excess of population is
shown to be upwards of five thousand
but when it is considered that a major
ity of the counties composing this dis
trict are devoted to agricultural pur-
suits. the population of these counties
is not likely to increase within the
next ten years. as rapidly as will some
of those in the fourth district. where
coal developments and railroad build
ing are in constant progress, and in
this latter district, the population falls
short Of its quota, by upwards of two
thousand.
Some objection may be offered as TO
the length of some of the districts, but
a careful study of the map of our state
will readily convince any one that
while it might be possible to construct
at least two districts with more desira-
bic formations. yet the other three
would necessarily be left in such con-
dition as to entirely destroy their COM
/ pactness.
very much doubt whether any plan
could be suggested that would place all
the districts in better or more desira-