Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-06-09
A GRIEVOUS SIN.
(Republished by Requeet.)

enactment or the present, existing leg
lslatlve appOI tionment. This apror-
tionment has robbed the people of the
Ninth District OF their lust share of
representation in the General Assem-
bly,. And one of Mr.. II. G.. Stuart's
most vicious political sins was the CIV
ing OF his sanction as a representative
OF his people to the outrage. This he
old by voting to place In the Constitu-
ment the following:
Sec. %. The superintendent of the
State into senatorial and house districts,
made by the acts of the General Assem-
bly,, approved April the second. nine
teen hundred and two, is hereby edopt-
ed; but re-apportionment NAV he
made In the year nineteen hundred and
SIX, and shall be made in the wear nine
teen hundred and twelve, aud everv
tenth year thereafter.
1t Will be observed that this section
OF the Constitution makes no SUCCESS
lions or provisions for an equitable an
portlonment OF the State into senate
rial and house districts. Upon the con-
trary, it adopts, ratifies and confirms
The disgracefully unfair apportionment
made by Democratic General Assem-
bly, about two months previous To the
completion and proclamation of the
constitution. Why didn't the Constitu-
/ tional Convention write in Sec. az the
same equitable and honest provisions
that they placed in Sec. SIS? This latter
section, in providing for the apportion-
ment Of the State into Congressional
districts says: (Which districts shall
De composed of contiguous and compact
territory, containing as nearly as prac-
ticaole, an equal number Of inhabi
tants."
The legislative apportionment of
APrli zno, lSO2, completely ignores in
habltants as a basis and violates the
fundamental principle of republican
government, equal and just representa-
ton for all citizens. We will give a
lew Illustrations Of the enormities of
the legislative apportionment in Vir-
gina, to show how the Ninth District
and the other white mountain sections
OF the State have been robbed.
The Ninth Congressional District. bv
the census of 1900 had 203. 39I white
inhabitants and 1886 colored inhabi-
tants, The iniquitous apportionment
OF 1902 gives to the thirteen great white
counties of the Ninth District 4 State
senators and II members of the House
| of Delegates.
The Sixth Congressional District
made up of six counties and two cities
Is given by this apportionment 9 mem,
6ers OF the House of Delegates and 81
State Senators. According to the CEN
sus OF 1900 this district had a popuIs-
ton OF III, BIZ whites and 6S. 488 color
ed people
The Fourth Congressional District.
The Black Belt, 4" of Virginia with
rs, O66 whites and 108, 1868 coiored popu-
latlon is given State Senators and %
members of the House of Delegates.
mus has one white man in the Sixth
congressional District been given a
Value equal to two white men in the
Nlnth' ard one white man in the Fourth
been apportioned as much Representa-
ton as three white men in the Ninth
District
another Illustration will be found in
connection with Senatorial districts:
The county of Halifax with II. 922
whites and 1926 colored Inhabitants
Is made Senatorial district, is given
one Senator and two members of the
House Of Delegates.
The Third Senatorial District is COM
posed of the counties of Buchanan.
Dlckenson, Russell and TazeweIl. The
district had, by census of 1900. 81, 443
whites and ,251 negroes. Thus it will
De seen That the four great counties of
l
stuart s county, and Tazewell with s..
443 white inhabitants are given the same
representation in the State Senate
that IS given the county of Halifax
with its IL, 922 whites. And il must he
noted that Mr.. Stuart adopted and rat
lneq THIS outrageous discrimination
against his own people, whereby one
white man in Halifax county has been
valued at more than three times as
much as white man in the counties of
Buchanan, Dickinson, Russell and Taze-
we'll
Another illustration: The two coun-
ties OF Amherst and Nelson are made a
senatorial district. They have 21,21O
Whlte inhabitants and II, 729 colored.
Ihey are given one State Senator and
two members of the House of Dele
gates.
The three great counties of Scott.
Lee and Wise are made the Second Sem
atorial District. In 1900 these counties
hao 0S,0u white people and 1881 color
ed inhabitants. These counties are Civ
en- one Senator and pa members of the
House of Delegates.
The apportionment which was adopt-
ed into the Constitution with the aid Of
Mr.. Stuart has thus given the white
men OF Amherst and Nelson three times
as much value as Is given to the white
men of Scott, Lee and Wise
Now as to the superintendent into
house districts.
The little county of -Appomatox 1.-THE
home of Hal Flood, a big Machine mani
with 5,13l whites and 1851 blacks. is
given a member of the House of Dele
gates. The great white counties of
buchanan and Tazewell are made into
one house district and are given one
member. These two counties in 1900
had y, 4S9 white population alone. So,
Mr.. Stuart's apportionment (for he has
adopted and ratified it, gives one white
man In Appomatox more than five
times the value of that given a white
man IN Buchanan and Tazewell. 1t even
makes disfranchised negro in Appo-
matox equivalent to three white men in |
Buchanan and Tazewell counties in the |
superintendent of representation.
Prince Edward lin the Black Belt, |
with 5,276 white people, is given one
member of the House of Delegates.
Brunswick lin the RlacL RaltN i'll