The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-23
Apportionment That "Takes Care "
Of Odell.

o"S'
HERBERT PARSONS is a resident Of
New York, a voter in New York and a
taxpayer in New York. By popular
election he represents in the Fifty
ninth Congress a constituency which ID
one Of the most progressive and sub
s~tantial in the United States. He is
chairman of the Republican county
committee of New York, and one OF the
duties which devolve upon him as
chairman Is the preparation OF a plan OF
apportionment, sofar as the same relates
to New York county, and its p%resenta-
ton to the State Legislature. With such
assistance as he has been able to procure,
Congressman PARSONS has prepared
an apportionment which conforms to
the constitutions requirements regarding
compactness, convenience and contiguity.
1t is fair to all interests, without
bias Of political reprisal or personal
discrimination. Necessarily, under any
apportionment, some neighborhoods
must be favored, and the plan suggested
by Mr.. PARSONS and his associates gives,
it is admitted, a small preference to those
uptown districts of New York which are
now increasing most rapidly in popu-
lation and include certainly the larger
share Of progressive and intelligent
voters-the mainstay of Republican
hopes in the future.
There will be nc new apportionment
Of legislative districts in New York
until 1915, and it does not require the
wisdom Of a seer or the 5agacity of a
serpent to perceive that during the en-
suing ten years there will be a larger
increase of population in The Bronx,
the Harlem and Riverside districts, and
throughout upper New York" generally
than in the downtown wards.
BENJAMIN B. ODELL, Jr., is a resident
Of Newburgh, in Orange county. He
holds no official position in this county,
and bears no political relation to the
county organization. With the assist
ance of some political friends and hench-
men he has prepared an apportionment
for New York county which grossly
violates constitutional provisions and
as such would be renewable in court.
The solitary merit is claimed for it that
it takes care" of the 0dell leaders in
the downtown districts, not a necessary
feature of a legal and equitable legis-
lative apportionment. Naturally, the
Odell leaders of downtown districts"
which have ceased to have the required
quota of population would be glad to
retain their political power and to use
it in favor of ODELL. The executive
committee Of the Republican organiza-
ton, chosen IN the basis of the popu-
lation of New York as it was returned
in 1892, is naturally opposed to any
change predicated on the population as
it is now. Quite naturally, also, these
Odell leaders have combined to resist
the demand of the overwhelming major
ity of all voters in New York.
Judged entirely apart from the I'M
seemliness Of interference by a man
from Orange county in a matter which
peculiarly and exclusively affects the
voters of New York county, the adoption
of such a plan as ODELL proposes would,
do a monstrous injustice to the Repub-
licans of this city. The uptown districts,
in which Republicans predominant, are
certainly entitled to adequate represen-
tation guaranteed to them under the law.
1t would be an act Of injustice for the
Legislature to discriminate against such
districts in favor of downtown districts
for the purpose of holding ODELL's
leaders in line"
The people Of New York, regardless of
Republican fractional divisions, are en-
titled to have that equitable and lawful
apportionment of New York county
legislative districts which the Consti-
tuition prescribes. Democrats as well as
Republicans votehere, and representation
should correspond with the population,
not be established in defiance of the
changes which the State census shows
to have occurred since 1892.