The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-03
=. I,ee. Jr.. Of HFairfax,w who was one Of
the strongest House aleade1s against ne
passage Of the bill.


NJ ,ee. yr.. 81 zFairfax, who was one Of
the strongest House lead GERS q ainse stnefS
passage Of the bill,
THE VETO MESSAGE.
Reasons Of the Governor for Turning
Down the Bill.
Fo11owine is the veto message Of Gov!
Montague In full
s54s4 Commonwealth OF Virginia,
Governors Office,
Richmond, April 2, 1902.
To the Senate:
-, retr1n without approval Senate bill
| No. 4l6, entitled an act To amend and
re-enact an act approved February Is.
1892 entitled an act to amend and re-
enact section so Z Of chapter of the
Code Of Virginia, in relation to appor-
| tionment of representation in Congress.
BY an act Of Congress, approved Janu-
airy Is, 1901, it is provided that:
..If there be no increase in the num-
Der Of representatives from a State, the
representatives thereof shall be elect
| ed from the districts now prescribed by
! law until such State be redistricted, as
herein prescribed, by the Legislature OF
| said State;', and the prescription REFER
ed to is that the districts shall be com
rosed Of contiguous, compact territory
and containing, as nearly as practicable,
I Ell equal number Of Inhabitants
Article Of the Virginia Constitution
rrescribes that:
| Section 49, The whole number Of men,
| bers to which the State may at any
/ time he entitled in the House of Repre-
/ sentatives OF the United States shall
| be apportioned, as nearly as may be,
amongst the several counties. cities and
I IT. 49, &I,~y
| population.
"section 10. In the apportionment the
! State shall be divided into districts, cor
/ responding in number with the represen-
tatives to which it may be entitled in
| the IJotsc of Representatives of the Con-
gress of the United States, which shall
| be formed. respectively, of contiguous
! counties, cities and towns: be compact,
| and include. as nearly as may be, an
| equal number of population"
| Thus it is manifest that the object of
| any apportionment is tho equalization Of
/ population and the compactness of area
/ of the several districts; and unless these
i fundamental requirements be met the
apportionment is without lawful sane
! ton. In my judgment, the bill under
consideration fails to meet either OF
| these requirements.
| a brief comparison of the existing ap-
.
! this bill plainly demonstrates that the
former more nearly complies with the re-
!! quirements than the latter. # the last
census is taken as a basis, the several
districts should each contain. in round
numbers, a. population of $4,000. AS at
| present laid off four of the districts
closely approach that STANDARD, and
only two, the Second and Ninth, exhibit
| a marked departure therefrom But
under the proposed superintendent none
| Vt the districts will conform to the stand
ard. Under this apportionment the 1885,
| ON limit will be exceeded In the First
| District b. 1900. in the Second Dis
trict by 5000. in the Fourth District by
10000, in the Fifth District by 1900, and
in the Ninth District by 1900; while the
| Third District will fall below the limit
by 1900 the Sixth District by 5000. the
Seventh District by $4,000. the Eighth Dis
trict by 1900, and the Tenth District by
5000. Unaccountable changes are to be
| wrought. 1t is designed, for Instance,
that the Third, Fifth, Sixth and Tenth
Districts, which are now within the re-
| quirements respecting population and To-
cation, shall be radically withdrawn from
their operation. For example. the Tenth
District, which now has population OF
1S5, 1872 will be reduced 26,000 while the
contiguous Ninth District, with q popula-
ton of 227,36l, will be left intact Thus
the difference in population OF two dis
tricts lying together is to be nearly 6S.-
600.
The bill makes no effort to comply with
the requirement that districts "be COM
pact, a requirement that is to a large ex-
tent observed under the present appor-
tionment. In this particular the forma-
ton of the Tenth District affords a strik-
ing illustration. This district is to COM
mence in Charlotte county, some fifteen
miles from the North Carolina line. and
to extend thence by meanderings to the
West Virginia line, touching In Its course
seven OF the ten congressional districts.
only the first and second being omitted.
The Adelimitation of this district violates
the principle of compactness at every
: point so much so that it is to be feared
the General Assembly did not give the
subject that careful and deliberate con-
sideration which it deserves.
1t is true that the inequality in popula-
ton now obtaining in the Second Dis
trict is sought to be corrected, yet 1t Will
/. hardly be contended that this should be
accomplished by a sweeping disregard OF
law and a sacrifice of general good.
Virginia is not entitled to an increase III
representation in Congress. and. there
fore, under the Federal statute the fail
ure to make an apportionment will. III
no wise, disturb her representation. the
present status. in terms. continuing UNI
til changed by statute No great hard
ship can therefore accrue to the state by
the failure to enact an apportionment law
at this session Of the General Assembly.
At any time within the remainder OF the
decade that body is authorized to maze
an apportionment, and. consequently,
whatever injury may now press upon any
district can easily be redressed in the near
future.
For these reasons am convinced that
I. yrou1d disobev my oath Of office not to
/ eynress nv disapproval Of q measure
which, in my opinion, is in violation of
the state and Federal law and inimical
to the best interests Of the Common
wealth.
FINAL. SESSION LEGISLATURE