The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1910-11-03
n10.othlcrlNo THE STATE.

For the past twenty years Georgia
has had eleven congressional dis
tricts, and sent eleven representa- !
tives TO congress The election that |
will be held next Tuesday will In al .
be the last to be held I'M
der that order Before the next coll /
gressional election shall be held the /
probability is that the state will be
and the various districts /
will be far different from what they
are now.
CongI essional appointments are
made every ten years, according to
the census. This is done by con
gress. 1t is quite certain that I'M
der the new apportionment, which
will be made either by the old con-
gress during it's closing winter SEES
sion or by the new congress during
it's first session, Georgia will gain
an additional representative That
the states population under the new
census will approach, if it does not
quite reach, 100000 is assured, so
even if the new ratio be one repre-
sentative for each 100000 population
instead of 1872 as at present, the
state will be entitled TO one addi-
tional congressman. That the ratio
shall be increased is absolutely ne
cessary, hut that it will be raised to
210,Gc0 is hardly to be expected The
average increase of ratio for the
past sixty years has been about 90
900, and the probability is that the
new ratio will not exceed 225,000,
which might give Georgia two addi-
tional congressman.
But one is certain, and this VIII
require redistricting of the state.
This is done by the legislature, and
the law requires that in making up
these districts they shall be made
up of contiguous territory and con
tain an equal population as nearly
as practicable. In cutting up t1e
eleven old districts in order to make
one new one it is apparent that this
VIII require a general change. This
it would do if the relative popula-
ton strength of all the counties re-
manned the same. Much more will
it do this when this has not remain
ed the same
1t is conceded that south Georgia,
as section, has made relatively
greater gains in population than
north Georgia, since the present dis
tricts were arranged. This develop
/ ed in the census Of 1900, and is an
'cipated to develop still more
strongly in tue present census The
, present second district under the
1900 census already contained 231.
o9l inhabitants, or nearly $4,000
more than the required number, and
will show proportionately large gains
in the 1910 census, which will mean
of course that it is much too large
while other districts are relatively
too small.
This redistricting OF the state vii
be a very difficult and delicate bust
ness. The politicians will try to take
hand in it, aspiring congressman
trying to have the counties so group
ed as to give to their districts The
available counties in which htey are
strongest AS in this no two o
them will agree there will he in this
work lot of hair-Splitting and work
ing at cross purposes However ou'
state being solidly democratic, there
is one evil that is not to be feared
in this redistricting, which is gerry
Wandering This term has been N
vented to apply where. i'll a state
more or less evenly divided between
two parties, the party in power has
SO arranged the districts as to mega
tive the strength of the other party
often done by making a distriC
stretch across the whole state in ;
srotesQue shape, 1t is to this met
cd that the republican party owes it:
preponderance of power far Out o
proportion with its strength in the
states that are numerically ciCsI
and it is fortunate that the Nv 70
i tricting will have to be done whe'
controlled by the democrats than wa'
the case when the present district
were arranged.
In Geors ia there will he no rea
SON for gerrNmanderin@, yet even 81
the task of redisuiCtinG the state
which will fan )non the leeisl1HUt
elected last mona. will be found sul
ticiently complex AUGUSTA Herald