Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-03-27

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Hancock 32,215
McDonough Observation-Disclosures. 2S,412
Mason ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 17,491
Menard ................... 1886
Morgan Observation-Disclosures. 35,0O6
Pike Observation-Disclosures. 1885
schuyler 1929
scott .-................ 10,455
(Total population of the district.
327,,677.)
1t will be seen by examining the
map of the state that this district is
compact, as the constitution of the
state intended the districts should
continue to be, and although the
constitutional convention formed the
supreme court districts and embodied
them in the constitution. it also pro-
vided in that instrument as follows:
The boundaries of the districts
may be changed at the session of the
general assembly next proceeding the
election for judges therein, and at no
other time; but whenever such alter
ations shall be made, the same shall
be upon equity of population, as near
ly as county bounds will allow. and
the districts shall be composed of
contiguous counties in as nearly com
pact form as circumstances will per-
nit"
With this provision of the constitu-
ton staring the partisan republicans
of the legislature in the face, they
are proceeding to gerrymander the
Fourth supreme judicial district by
cutting off from the present district
| Pike and Scott counties. with popu-
lation of 42,050, and adding to the re-
naming counties to form the pro-
posed new Fourth district, the coun-
ties of Rock Island. Mercer. Warren
and Henderson, with a population of
11O.193. They run up the river 100
miles to take i'm those counties, form
| ing pan handle,' as any one can see
| by looking at the state map, and max,
| ing the district anything but compact
as required by the state constitution.
The Springfield Register after Il
| careful review of the project says:
The difference of population between
the supreme court districts to be af-
fected by the gerrymander is not
sufficient to Justify any change of
districts. much less such a partisan
political outrage as is being perpetra-
| ted. If the purpose had been to equal
lie the population of the Fourth and
Fifth districts. they could have taken
Henderson and Warren. with popu-
lation of $4,000 from the Fifth dis
trict and added it to the present
Fourth district. This would give the
Fourth district a population of 361.-
677, and the Fifth district popula-
ton of 1889. The districts pro-
posed by the villianous partisan ger
rymander show populations of $685.
$50 for the Fourth district, and $780,
| 595 for the Fifth district-a differ
ence of 10000 instead of 10000. But
no. Pike and Scott counties are
strongly democratic, and would have
ieopardiZed the election of a republi-
can Judge. The partisan gang that is
making this gerrymander of SUI
preme court district. cut away Pike
and Scott and added Henderson. Mer-
Ger. Warren and Rock Island counties,
making a pan handle and violating the
provisions of the constitution. in or
der to make it practically impossible
to elect a democratic justice from the
Fourth district
The point might be further made
that the proposed law is unconstitu-
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DIARIES of the Fifth supreme district by
cutting off from it the counties of
Henderson, Mercer and Warren, and
the Sixth supreme district by cutting
off from it the county of Rock Island,
and also of the district to which the
counties of Pike and Scott are added
at session of the legislature not
next proceeding the election of iudg-
| es therein. The constitution says. as
quoted above, that when changes are
made in districts they shall be
made at the session of the general as
sembly next preceding the election
for Judges therein. and at no other
time. Of course if this provision was
adhered to there could never be any
chsnge of districts. except by cOnsti-
tutional amendment, which is proba-
bly, the idea the constitutional con-
this phase of the question out of con-
sideration. the change is wrong-it
cannot be justified
This dragging the supreme court of
the state in the mire of partisan ma
chine politics ought to create wave
of popular indignation against every
public man connected with the out
rage.
The greed of the organized appe-
tite' machine of the republican party
for Office should stop short of the
courts of the state, and especially of
the highest judicial tribunal of the
commonwealth.
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