The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-15
Republicans Are
Laying Plans For
Big Gerrymander
Foxy Heads Of Party Want
to Make Congressional Re-
districting Favorable to
G.. o. p.

ven Union from an individual high
in the political counsels of the Repub-
| lican party of this state, J. Henry
| Roraback and his henchmen at the
| capftcl are much concerned about the
| redistricting of Connecticut into con-
| gressional districts as provided for
| by the re-appOrtionment bill recent
ly passed by congress.
So great is the solicitude on the
part of j. Henry and his friends that
| Connecticut shall be cut up congress
sional-wise to their liking and for
| the furtherance Of their political plans,
that it is stated in high Republican
been formed by him with Lieut.. Gov.
Blakeslee Of this city to aid in the
| flxing-up of the scheme. In return
for favors in this line and otherwise,
it is said J. Henry and his lobby
friends will throw their support to the
acknowledgements in bis efforts to
! gain the gubernatorfa1 nomination Of
the Republican party next year.
Great are the political changes pro-
posed, if the stories told are to be be-
dieved, and they include the retire
ment of some prominent Republican
political office holders from active po-
litical life and kthe substitution Of
others who are be favored by Mr..
Roraback
According to The Unions informant
the fight is really one to unseat Unit
| ed States Senator Brandegee and to
gain control of every congressional
| district in Connecticut for the Repub-
lican party. According to the best i'm
| formation Obtainable a gerrymander
is to be conducted at the state capitol
| by the Republican legislators on the
| redistricting of, the state into congress
| sional districts. Every Republican
viii be requested to stand by his party
| irrespective of his personal feelings
and to aid in dividing the state into
five congressional districts instead of
four as at present and district at
| large.
| At present the state Is divided into
| the following congressional districts.
| First-Hartford and Tolland coun-
ties; Second, New Haven and Middle
sex counties; Third, New London and
| Windham counties; Fourth Fairfield
and Litchfieqd counties; and a district
! at large, taking In the whole state
| The gerrymander planned by the
| powers that be, it is understood, is to
remove Tolland county from the first
district and make Hartford county a
\ district by itself; to remove Middle
sex county from the second district
| and leave New Haven county as an
other district; to add Tolland and Mid
| dlesex counties to the third district;
| to remove Lftchfield county from the
fourth district, leaving Fairfield coun-
| ty for another ditrict, and to make
| Litchffeld county, with the addition of
the towns Of Southingiton Bristol Bur-
| lington, Canton, and Hartland, from
Hartford county and Middlebury, VOL
colt, Southbury, Waterbury, Cheshire
| and Meriden from New Haven county,
| and Newtown, Bethel Brookfield, New
Fairfield and Sherman, from Fair
| field county, an entirely new district
In place of the district at large.
Some months ago a committee was
appointed of which Senator Pl90 is
chairman, for the purpose of ra-dis-
| trlctlng the state, congressional WISE
| in accordance with the provisions that
should be made I'm the proposed re-
apportionment bill then before the ma
| tional Legislature. That latter body
| has passed that measure some time
| ago. The committee at the state CAPT.
toll has never held a meeting, although
solicited many times by Representa-
tive Belcher, of New London, who is
member of the committee, 1t had
| crept out, however, that the Republi-
cam members of this committee, who
are majority, have figured out the
above stated scheme for the Congress
sional re-districting of the state, and
the matter will be brought before the
General Assembly for action
From a reliable source, it is under
stood there is more politics behind the
scheme than it is at first apparent. 1t
| was tated that the re-diStricting will
| play an important part. in the selec-
ton of the Republican nominee for
| governor. At the present time it is
known that Lieut.. Gov. Blakselee
| would very much like to be elevated
to the governors chair. Senator Bar
mum also has designs on the position
and his friends. say that his record in
in crt f1,xa
shows him a friend of the workingman
and that he would make a formidable
candidate. 1T is claimed that one fac
ton in Hartford has a candidate for
governor in the person Of ex-Mayor
Henney of Hartford
At this point the wheels of Republic
can mechanism sbegin to revolve and
the little wheels within the larger
wheels begin to be apparent accord
ing to the best Informed politicians
Roraback will support Blakeslee for
the nomination for governor. This
compact has been already entered in
to, it is said. In return the lieuten-
ant-governor will have to do three
things for Roraback. He will have
to help him in the gerrymander; he
must continue to assist him in his
| fight for Attorney Howard c. Webb
against Col. Ullman and Judge Math-
ewson in the New Haven city court
fight; and he will have to gather
around him in New Haven a band Of
faithful compatriots strong and true
who will fight against the Republican
machine rule here.
Senator Barnum will be baited to
keep aloof from the nomination for
governor by being rendered the NOM
lnatiOn as congressman from the new
congressional district, the Litchfield
county district to be created The
wishes of the Hartford faction will
be gratified by ex-Mayor Henney re-
ceiving the nomination for congress
from the Hartford district, it is said.
Congressman Henry, who it is claim
ed will retire on account of his health
really would have no chance to be re-
turned to Washington according to
those who profess to know, because
the city of Hartford will be the pivo-
tai point in this district and the vote
there will control the county, as it
is the largest city
With the re-districting of the state
by the Introduction of Meriden into
the new Litchfield district, the Repub-
licans have placed Congressman Thos.
L. Reilly in a district that will be
overwhelmingly Republican. Con-
gresham Reilly is the first Democrat
who has been elected from the sec
ond district for many years.
For years the second district has
been normally a Republican congress
sional district, but with Middlesex
county being removed and with the
addition of the several towns from