New-York tribune., 1907-06-07
KADSWORTH,s PIN.

In the matter of apportonment 1t seems to
be easier to satisfy the constitution than 10 sat
isfy the politicians. With every marrying OF
county to county into Senate districts of the
requisite population, cOmpactneSs and Cohtlsu-
ity somebody's political fences must go down.
somebody must be eliminated" We have tor-
gotten Just how many Senators who nave
adorned this session of the Legislature were
eliminated" by the Tully plan, but we DeneNe
that they all, or nearly all, swallowed tneir uiS-
appointment and voted to be eliminated for the
good OF the cause and the constitution. II was
a very good apportionment. 1t obeyed the con
sttution nearly as it is possible 10 oHey IT,
and everybody was satisfied, at least everybody
was supposed to be, but ii appears thaI Hpe"h'I
WadswOrth was not The Tully plan eliminated
the Wadsworth Senator. The Speaker Is now
demonstrating that there are other const'u-
tional plans. and that his particular conStltu-
tional plan very easily CarvcS up the central
part of the state so that there is Senate as
trict that the Speaker and his friends can con
troll this being, at the least proper appuFje-
nance of the Speakers high office. Nhat IS
more the Assembly agrees with its Speaker
about the constitutonallty of WadSWorth Sen
ate district and so there will be Il chance Tor
long dckering between the two bodies about an
annortionment thar will satisfy the constitution
York. Probably whatever plan is adopted finally
somebody will have to be eliminated, and just
now the anxious legislators are In the state of
A dozen hungry shipwrecked sailors in long
boat revolving in their minds eye which one
of their company they shall "eliminate' in the
interests of the others hunger
We entertain no illusions regarding the process
by which a constitutional appOrtioument IS
reached. 1t is a sad thing when human nature
faces the alternative of eliminating self or
the other fellow. The Tully plan and the Wads-
worth plan were inspired by just the same mo-
tives to parcel ont the state with one eye on the
constitution and the other eye on number one
There is no constitutional reason why the Speak
er should not use the power Of the Assembly
to look out for himself just as influential
Senators use the power of the Senate to look out
for themselves always, of course, with due re
Spect to population, compactnesS and COntigu-
ity. With respect to these requisites we have
examined the districts carved out by Mr. Wads-
worth and compared them with those devised by
Mr.. Tully. They look about as we'll on the map,
and when it comes TO figures there is not much
TO choose. The two plans differ with respect to
seven districts, In Mr. Tullys plan the lowest
population In those seven districts is 1O72lS
and the highest is 1924 According 10 the
population figures we have IN the Office, which
differ slightly from those used in figuring the
totals in the Tully districts, in Speaker Wads-
wOrths plan the lowest population Is 1876 and
the highest 1921. Speaker Wadsworth's plan
joins Putnam with Orange across the river, while
Mr.. Tully makes a more natural combination Of
Putnam with Columbia and Duchess, all east
Of the Hudson
The public interest in the question does not
concern the personal interests Of Mr.. WadSworth
or Mr.. Tuly or Mr.. Cassidy or any other states
man whose lot it may be TO leave the boat for
the good Of his brethren in the reappOrtionment
shipwreck. All the unambitious want is a good.
fair apportonment that viii stand the scrutiny
Of the courts, and with regard TO these two
plans, as was said On famous occasion. there is
much to be said on both sides.