Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-06
IOWA CERTAIN TO HAVE REPRE-.
SENTATloN IN HOUSE
REDUCED.
LOSS IN TOTAL POPULATION
CERTAIN TO BE SHOWN
Redistrietins Of State viii Be Neces-
sary and Some of Freak Districts
Will Be Made More Symmetrical
No Rearransement of Districts Since
Gerrymander % Years Ago.
,ecial to Tines-Republican.

Special to Tines-Republican.
Des Moines, May 6.-The census re.
turns make it certain that Iowa vii
lose at least congressman after ths
next apportionment unless the numbe,
Of members is very greatly increased
A loss of 10000 or $4,000 leaves nc
question about reducing the represent
fation in congress. Even without 8
loss in population it would have beer
probable Iowa would lose one mem
Der.
This will force the next legislature
TO redistrict the state. For twenty
eight years the districts have remained
unchanged. The last ~districting was
a g~eryrnander Of the worst kind. bu,
all efforts 10 have il Strengthened on
have failed. In the legislature, ses-
sion after session. bills hay beer pre-
sented. in accordance with the law. &c
make a redis-ricting. but it has no:
been done. But with a reduction in
| the nuU7ber the redistricting viii b.
forced.
= = - = 80 -sS-A A-- ~
ing viii mean a. building up of the dis
tricJs from the ground floor. The dis
-ricts in the northwest corner of the
state will be made much smaller and
those in the south and east much
larger. Very likely the Seventh dis
trict. now the smallest in the state, will
De reduced 50 much that half the vote
vii. be in Des Moines, One or two
counties viii be Topped off. Il is GER
tain that the old monkey wrench
district will be converted into some
more useful implement. and the Sec
ond. which resembles a half-moon, will
be rounded out.
The fact that it will soon be up to an
Iowa legislature 10 make a redistrict-
ing Of the state gives added import
ance TO the pending campaign which
is a struggle between two factions as
70 which one shall control the lagis-
lation in the two houses and in the
executive Office. If the p~rogressives
have the matter in hand. with a o
ernor n majority in each branch,
there will be no gerymandering Of the
state. but a plain and square deal for
every section Of the state. The in
Z SS-- VI piESNA-N : ~ - ~
considered. as they always have been
no such distinction as that which has
made the Iowa map the standing ex-
ample Of partisan unfairness.
Republicans who are planning to put
a democrat in he office Of chief execu-
tive will probably pause and consider
what it means in the matter of re-
5:c+ r;o-try rha c+ata for prCrzSc,,1a,
The plea OF Judge Mitchell On be-
half Of John Junkins, the murderer Of
not have the effect Of saving the brutal
negro from the gallows but it was a
decidedly interesting argument. In
substance he held that Junkins is
hardly 10 be classed as a human be-
wise a deformity, and while having
intellect Incapable of reasoning. In
short. he is so deficit that he ought
not TO be held responsible. The su-
preme court gave respectful attention
TO the argument. but in the minds Of
all who heard it there was no doubt
that Junkins probably comes as near
deserving emoval from the earth as
Ill NINA! tSSi Dc4IiAIQ l44C
walls. An interesting fact is that in
an address at Cen,erville, where Jun
kins was convicted, Warden Sanders
last Saturday evening, declared his be-
lief that Junkins ought not 20 be
hanged. He says, however, that Jun
kins should never have been released
from the prison and there should be
such an in~determinate sentence law as
would keep such a person in prison
all the time. Ii will be the duty Of
Warden Sanders to do the hanging in
July.
1t is probable that since Captain
Hull has been forced to AXE TO the
stump in the Seventh district, Judge
Prouty will challenge him to joint de-
bate and arrange a series Of joint
meetings. In the past the plea has al
ways been made that Captain Hull did
not have TO go on the stump and *
plain his record and thai his duties
in congress were such that ne could
not make a series of dates. This year,
for the first time since the war. he has
found it necessary to go out OF the
stump and plead for votes. 1t is known
that Judge Prouty has been quite
anxious TO have a few joint meetings
and would be tickled to death to be
able to meet Hull III the coliseum in
Des Moines. Of course they both
know that joint debates never make