The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1901-12-06
A TEST WILL BIZ MADE
Missouri Reapportionment Not Sat-
isfactory to Republicans.
APPEAL TO COURTS.
Congressman Bartllcldt Claims the Fed.
eral Statutes We're Violated When
the Missouri Legislature Cut
St. Louis In Districts.

| NdSUlISlOu, IJtC O-tSbplDSC1lttlLNC
Bartholdt of Missouri says that his at
torneys in ST. Louis are Investigating
the act of the Missouri Legislature APP
portinoing that state into congressional
| districts, and he anticipates that ere
long PLANS to test the legality of the
act begore the United States courts
| will be ready for execution. 1t Will be
| remembered that several months ago
Mr. Bartholdt announced his intention
OF testing the Missouri law on the
ground that it was In violation of the
federal act OF apportionment Section
Of the federal act reads as follows:
THAT in each state entitled under
this act to apportionment the numbers
| to which such state may be entitled in
the tifty-eighth and each subsequent
congresses shall be elected by districts
composed of contiguous and compact
| territory and containing as nearly as
practicable an equal number Of inhab-
itants"
When the federal act was up for con-
sideraton there was objection to this
provision on the ground that it was an
interference with the prerogative of the
states to apportion as their legislatures
deemed best. 1t was claimed that there
was no constitutional warrant for such
legislation. lslt inasmuch as preceding
enactment had contained similar pro-
vision the majesty thought there was
nothing serious in the proposition.
The Missouri legislature, In appor-
tioning that state, paid no heed to sec
ton 8 of the federal act. ST. Louis
had elected three Republican congress
men at several elections and the Demo
cratic legislature deemed Il wise to ar
range congressional districts in the
city as to make two OF the three dis
tricts safely Democratic. This was
accomplished by placing more than
half of the city's population in Mr.. Bar
thold's district and giving him all the
Republican wards and localities re-
CARELESS OF contiguity. The two re-
naming city districts are believed by
the Democrats to be safe for their par
ty nominees.
The arrangement has absolutely put
representative Joy OUT OIL DuSiueSS ny
throwing his Republican wards into
the Bartholdt district Bartholdt has q
safe party majority of 10000 in the new
district, but Joy has an Irish district
good under ordinary circums distances for
5000 Democratic majority.
Barthold's proposition Is that if the
federal act is legal the Missouri act is
illegal, and. necessarily, if the Mis-
souri, act is legal then the federal act
is Illegal and such law as section 3 is
absolutely necessary. Mr.. Bartholdt
is conducting this litigation at his own
expense in order to test a question
which has long been unsettled. OF
course if congress has the right to
review state superintendent acts new
questions touching state. sovereignty
are imminent. What the Democrats
have done IN Missouri and Texas the
Republicans have done in Illinois, New
York and Pennsylvania. = very inter
esting question Is involved.
Oklahoma Statehood Bill,
Washington, Dec. Ex-senator Fair
banks has introduced a bill for the
admission of Oklahoma as a state anu
providing that the capital shall be 10.
Gated at town TO be called Mckinley
IN hnnnT n n