Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-08-03
The "Gerrymander."
scharleston Gazette.

charleston Gazette.
The Republicans charge that the Demo-
Gratis made VIGOROUSLY unfair and par
tisan gerrymander of the State in the
legislative apportionment of 1890. They
further charge that under that gerryman
der the Republicans can carry the State
by 10000 majority and still lose the Legis-
lature. In his speech of acceptance, Mr..
White made the charge that the result of
this apportionment is to disfranchise fully
10000 Republican voters. None of these
charges are true, and the record shows
that they are false. The present appor-
tionment was made In 1891 and at every
election held since, except that of 1898,
the party which has had a majority OF
the votes in the State elected a majority
of the Legislature. The first election was
in 1892 and the Democrats carried the
State by over 5000 majority and elected
majority of the Legislature. in 1894, the
Republicans carried the State on the Con-
gressional vote by about 1880 and such
a large number of Republican legislators
that they had almost two-thirds of the
Legislature in spite of the large number
of Democratic hold-over Senators. Here
is the first direct contradiction of their
claim that it takes a Republican majority
of 10000 to give them the Legislature. Two
years later the Republicans carried the
State by 1900 and elected SO members of
the Legislature, while the Democrats
elected 81 Here is the second contradic-
ton of their charge. In 1898 the Republi-
cans carried the State by about LOO
the Congressional vote and elected SS
members of the Legislature while the
Democrats elected 46. This is the first
break in the rule of the party carrying
the State also carrying the Legislature.
But three of the Democrats elected that
year owe their election to local conditions
the counties in which they were elected
having given majorities for the Republi-
can Congressman. This makes the result
equivalent to 43 Democrats to Al Repub-
licans, so far as the head of the ticket
was concerned. Few States in the Union
can compare with 1t in fairness to the
opposition party. But even the present
condition is due to causes and conditions
that have arisen since the apportionuent
was made. Several of the counties which
now return the largest Republican vote
and majorities have largely acquired that
vote since the apportionment was made
Take Mcdowell county, which in 1896 gave
over 1900 Republican votes and more than
LOO Republican majority, had less than
LOCO Republican votes in 1890, and was a
Democratic county. Fayette has more
than doubled it's Republican vote since
the apportionment was made, while the
Democratic increase has been small Ohio
county was a Democratic county in 1890
and now gives nearly 1000 Republican
majority. In every county where there
has been phenomenal growth in the
vote, the bulk of it has been Republican.
The largest increase has been in the coal
fields, caused by the influx of colored
voters. But this increase has been since
the apportionment was made and the dis
proportion of Republican and Democratic
vote did not exist at that time. While
there has been an increase of less than
10 per cent. in the Democratic vote, the
Republican vote has increased more than
80 per cent. This situation which has
arisen since the apportionment was made
throws it somewhat out of joint. 1t Is
safe TO say that should the Republicans
control the next Legislature, they will
not give so fair an apportionment as the
Democrats gave.