The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-02
Republican Committee APP
pointed to Lay Out Dis
tricts Accomplishes a Ger
rymander That Snuffs Out
All Preceding Ones
@. 0. P. R0RsEsH0Es FORMED
ONLY FIVE CERTAIN DEMocRAT
\ Io DISTRICTS LEFT, WHIL7
THOSE IN DOUBT ARE so AR
RANGED AS TO FAVOR THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Especial to "The Jersey city News. 8

Especial to "The Jersey city News.'D
TRENTON, Mar. ., 1908.-In antiei-
pationsfh that the Legislature would pass a
billsdiyiding counties into Assembly Dis
tricts, as recommended BY Governor
Stokes, in his second annual message,
the special committee appointed by the
Executive Committee of the Hudson Re
publican organization has agreed upon
Assembly District lines in this county,
which the members are confident win be
adopted. The lines as drawn through
the county will make only five districts
solidly Democratic and the other seven
doubtful, with chances in favor Of the
Republicans selecting at least five ont Of
the seven Assemblymen.
Those who have seen the draft of lines
which the Republicans will propose,
claim that one of the new districts is
almost as bad as the famous Horse
Shoe district created by the Democrats
two decades ago and that other new DIS
triets are nearly as bad.
According to the census of 1908 the
first district will coutain 42,262 popula-
ton; the second, 42.O97; the third. 40,-1
s31; the fourth. Al, ,12S; the fifth, Sc, 1893;
the sixth, Al ,64S; the seventh, 30, ,90S;
the eighth, 35 Peg; the ninth, 3S,56T; the
tenth, 29,252; the. eleventh, 34,9s1, and
the twelfth. 2S.T64.
While the lines of the new districts as
shown on map of the county, seem to
show reasonable contiguity in area and
the population, based on the census Of
1905, does not vary remarkably, never
theless the scheme is gerrymander al
most as bad as the shifting Of the lines
by the Democrats which brought into ex-
istence the Eighth Assembly District, ex-
tending from what was known as the
''Cork Row. precinct of lower Jersey
City over the Heights and meadows to
West Hudson. where it embraced the
then two townships of that section.
It would have been practically inlpos-
sible with any lines embracing contigu-
Gus territory to have created less than
ive safely Democratic districts in a coun-
- - 1Aa,,,.aa~a+;o ~ TT4,HSe-,
and the membeIs Of the committee which
laid out the new districts can congratu-
late themselves that from a Republican
standpoint they did their work well.
The most striking instance of gerry-
mander is furnished by the so-called
Sixth District. which the Republican
leaders have arranged It takes IN all
of the Democratic stronghold, the See
ond Ward Of Jersey City, then reaches
out and embraces the equally strong
Democratic First Ward Of Hoboken and
Second, Third and Fourth Districts Of
the Eleventh Ward of jersey City
Heights. This Is safely Democratic
district. which the Republicans viii con
cede.
Next TO the Sixth in Democratic
strength is the proposed new Seventh
District, which embraces the First Dis
trict Of the Second WsEd and all Of the
Third and Fourth Wards Of Hoboken
The banner Republican district is the
proposed Third District, which embraces
the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth
and Twelfth Districts of the Eighth
Ward. Jersey City; the First, Fifth.
Sixth, Seventh. Eighth and Ninth Dis
tricts Of the Ninth Ward, and the nine
precincts Of the Tenth Ward. Jersey
City, which during the Presidential e.ec-
tion Of 1904 gave 1876 Republican ma
jorty. This is estimated to be RapubM-
can by 1000 majority, according to the
vote Of 1904.
The next safely Republican division
is the proposed Second Assembly Dis
triet, which is composed Of the Third,
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh ana Eighth
Districts of the Sixth Ward, Jersey City,
all Of the districts Of the Seventh Ward
and the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth,
Tenth and Eleventh Districts Of the
Eighth Ward. It is also estimated to
have a Republican majority Of 900, ae-
cording to, the Presidential vote Of 1904.
The proposed Fourth District com
prises the Fourth and Fifth Wards, the
First and Second Districts of the Sixth
Wasd and the Second Ward, ana alI q