The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-22

Washington, August 21.-(Special) 1.-The increase of membership of the House of Representatives under the new apportion- ment, based on the census of 1910, makes pertinent a discussion of that rascanty in politics. the gerrymander; but rare ln- deed is the public man who cannot silence his conscience for the sin, If It works 10 his or his party's advantage The gerrymnnder Is not a partisan, for all parties with sufficient power practice il. It is more fagrant in Rhode Island and Connecticut than anywhere else; it may ; be for the reason that 1t is New Eng land invention.
 The tariff gives one class more money than thoy earn, and the gerrymander gives one party more power than is its right It Is the fruit of that inequality which makes mockery of representative !. government erd just as vicious as bribery 3itself. It; Is Iracticed at the south be- cause it Is en.fenched at the north, where they excuse f on the plea that the south indulges it Everywhere it enables the unscrupulous to reap where they do not SOW and gather where they do not strew By the rroiligate work of the gerryman- der one e-third of the people obtain ma jorities in Loth houses of Congress.
 It is a defeat of our system, and it's fruits were unforeseen by our fathers. It is as bad or worse than the. election of representatives in Congress by general ticket in the states, which would give the majority party every representative. If every state would agree to apportion it's representatives in Congress among the parties according to the strength of each, as ascertam ed in a general election, the House of EerI esentatives would be what 1t is designed to be-a national body. For instance, suppose state entitled to 12 congressman. One party in that state casts 3OO,0Oo votes, the other 10000. The \ majority patty would thus have eight congiessir en and the minority four, But under a skillfully planned and remorse- lessly executed gerrymander, the minority | kparty would be fortunate to get one seat {1n Congress from that state. In the Fifty Becond Congress there was not a single Republican from Indiana, which is close state, ard in the Fifty-fourth Congress . there, was not a single democrat from | Indiana, though there were over 25O,O0O | denlocratic votes in that state. That con- dition of tblngs is as demoralizing to the victors and it is injurious to the van < uished, and more SO. for the thief works e greater harm to himself than he does to him he robs. Nero was greater en- Xemy to Nero than he was to all the Thousands he murdered.
 N Honest men have naught but contempt 1pr the scamp who has got itno associa- ion with gentlemen and welshes bet.
 5e is even more vile than the pic<pocket, ooC he would pick pocket if his coward heArt were not more craven than the oueak ;h,ef's. But your interruptions D0ltician who would get an unfair advan- tU8e by giving one community more po- lstical power than it is entitled to and another less than it's due, however high lninded he may be as private citizen, 1s even more vicious man-when we fudge him by his works-than he who Rxacts when he wins and repudiates when he loses. The fact Is that political
 arty can no more afford to be rascal han an individual can maintain himself