The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-10-20
ONE. EQUALS SIX
Southern Democrats Discrimi-
nate Against Ohio.

q gressionaI Districts Compared
snook's Supporters Only Quarter
Of Man Apiece On the Alabama
Plan.
Mobile, the largest city in Alabama,
| Is in the First congressional district
of Alabama. That district has six
counties. So has the Fifth congress.
sional district of Ohio. Both districts
elect Democrats to congress. The
Ohio district does that just as steadily
and persistently as the Alabama dis.
trict The Fifth Ohio has not been
known to elect Republican represen.
tative. It's present member Of con.
gress is Hon. John s. Shook Of Pauld.
ding, now serving his second term,
being elected in 1902 by 19,0S6 to
16,548 for George Russell, the Repub.
lican candidate. George Washington
Taylor Of Demopolis, Marengo county.
member from the First Alabama, is
also serving his second term in con.
gress. He prints among his special
claims for credit his prominent activ.
ity in the adoption of the Alabama
constitutional changes to evade the
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
to the Constitution Of the United
States.
Each Of these districts Is composed
of six counties, and they are reason.
ably similar in population, the 1900
census crediting the First Alabama
with 49, ,7S1 total poulation and the
Fifth Ohio with 1896 in all. In the
enumeration Of the total number of
males 21 years old or over, the First
Alabama is credited with 41,970 men
Of voting age. while the Fifth Ohio.
with more than 10000 less population.
enumerated one-tenth more males Of
voting age, or 4G.207 in all.
Both districts voted for member of
congress on the same November day
in 1902. with the weather in favor of
the district on the Gulf of Mexico
Yet the First Alabama polled, or re-
ported as polled for that great office
less than G000 votes: in fact, only
1914 men are reported as voting for
in the Fifth Ohio district 35,635 men
or against Congressman Taylor, while
expressed their preference for or
against Congressman Shook. The lat
ter thus represents six times the num-
ber of voters that Congressman Tay-
lor does, but his vote is just the same
in weight in the Democratic caucus
or In congress; no more. Does 1t
really take six Ohio men in a Demo.
cratic district to equal one Alabama
man?
In the division of the voters be.
tween the parties, Mr.. Taylor received
1854 votes to 545 for Ebenezer H.
Hubbard, Lilly White" republican.
and 65 for George H. Wilkerson, Inde.
pendent Republican. Therefore Mr..
Snooks own total of 1906 votes calls
for nearly four Democrats to vote to
secure his election to congress, where
only one Alabama Democrat is needed
to put Mr.. Taylor into that office. Does
that mean that an Ohio Democrat
equals only quarter of an Alabama
Democrat?
In the proportion Of votes cast to
the census enumeration of men of
voting are in the two districts, the
Alabama discrimination against
Snook's constituents is equally glar-
ing. His Fifth Ohio district enumer-
ated 46.207 males 21 years of age and
over The laws and ways Of Ohio
brought over n per cent of them to
the polls to ballot for members of
congress In sure Democratic district.
But in Taylor's First Alabama district
only about l41s per cent of the census
enrolment Of 41,970 of men OF voting
age were counted as casting their bal.
lots for congressman. This was less
than one-fifth the proportionate nun.
ber Of voters In the Fifth Ohio dis.
trict, but Taylor's vote In congress
and caucus counts equal to Shook with
nearly Ave times the proportionate
votes back Of him.
One excuse, and only one, Is ever
even heard for these inequities against
every state with free ballot; against
every congressional district, Demo.
cratic or Republican, where all citi-
zens are equally at liberty to dis.
charge their duty as citizens, and
where they do 1t with any degree of
thoroughness. That plea is the "color
line" Eliminate that and there is not
shadow Of opportunity for apology.
Eut 1t is to white men, and not black,
that this talk about ''the color line"
works the greatest injustice.
In this case under this pretext Mr..
Taylor's election by less than 5000
votes for all candidates. where Ohio
polled S3O.131 votes on the same day
in her 21 districts, an average of near.
| ly 10000 votes to the district, is an
injustice to every voter In Ohio, whose
ballot is thus given but little over
one-seventh of the weight in all mat.
ters concerning Ohio acted upon by
congress that Is accorded to the votes
counted in the First Alabama district
This injustice is nearly as great to
the voters Of Mr.. Snook's Fifth Ohio
one CT the strongest, most reliably
Democratic districts In Ohio
Even in the First Alabama district
itself. 'the color line" pretense works
out In the elimination and exclusion
OF white men from voting. The census
enumerated 1901 native white men
of voting age in that district and 1,051
raturalized citizens, making total o.
1922 white men in the district, al
most all OF whom would vote II they
we're In Ohio. But only 5,974 vote,