The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-01-11
AT TER new
CONCRESSMEN
Republicans Scheme to Steal
the Two Extra Rep
resentatives.
TO BE ELECTED AT LARGE.
One at Least Should Be Given
to the Hudson County
Democrats.

WASHINGTON, Jan. II, 1901-While
Senator Sewell has not had time to give
the effects Of the passage of the Burle1gh
bill upon the rearrangement Of the Con.
gressional districts in New Jersey con-
sideratton. Congressman Gardner said
yesterday that he was half inclined to
think that possibly it might be well to
have the two new congressman allotted
to the State elected at large or, at least
to have one of them elected at large after
redistricting the State into nine Congress
ional districts.
There are advantage both to the
Congressman and to the State con-
tinued Mr.. Gardner, in having a Con-
gressman at large. The man in that ca
pacity is relieved from many of the cares
imposed upon him by the needs of his
constituents, and, therefore, has more
time to devote to legislative matters.
Naturally, he is the gamer, and SO is the
State. Then it sometimes proves the
menas of preventing a lot of petty jeal-
ousy in the party
The Burleigh bill provides that the
House shall consist Of 1856 members, and
New Jersey would be entitled to ten.
The ratio of representation would be on
to 1917 To divide New Jersey into ten
districts is somewhat of a task, because
of the unequal distribution of population.
An equitable division could be made the
easier by making nine districts and plac-
ing the tenth Congressman as 'atlarge.
This, however, will be problem for the
present session of the Legislature to
wrestle with, and doubtless the opinions
of the Republican leaders will have due
consideration in the determination of
what shall be done.
At the present time the Congressman
from Hudson county is acting for a pop
ulation which would give the Seventh
district two members under the new ap-
portionment. Other districts of the State
nave too large a population, while others
come close to the required figure. The
State might be divided into nine districts
without very much difficulty or conflict
of county lines. The First district
could be made up of Camden, 107,643;
Salem. q. $50; Cumberland, 5i,1os;
Gloucester, S1,9O5 Total, 2l6,1S1. The
Second district might take in Atlantic,
Cape May, 13,2O1. Total, 213, ,2os
For the Inlfd district, MlQuieSeX,
1872; Monmouth, s2,o57; Somerset, S2,-
94S; Ocean, 19747; making a total of 214,-
514 For the Fourth, Sussex, A,134; War
rem, 37,7S1; Hunterdon, 34,507; Morris, 65,-
1885, and part of the city of Newark, 10000,
making 201,57S. Union county, with 99,S53,
and Essex, outside of Newark, with H.
sS3, would give a total of 1856 for the
Fifth Subtracting 10000 to the Fourth
district from the city of Newark, and
there would remain 2o6,o7o for the Sixth
district.
Bergen county, with TS,441, and Passaic
with 155, ,202, would give total of 233, CAB,
and placing 260O0 of this in this Eighth,
there would still remain 207,643. With the
900 from Passaic and the remainder of
Hudson county, outside of Jersey City,
amounting to 179615, there would be to-
tai of 205,615 for the Seventh district, and
the Eighth, with Jersey City at 206. 433,
would make the Ninth. 1t may be seen
from the totals that these figures would
make a fair division, and there would be
little confusion as to county lines. The
tenth Congressman, if at large, would
then be voted for throughout the State"