The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-22
EXPECT CHANGES
IN DISTRICT LINES
Legislative Election Committees
Will Begin Public Hear
~ ings To-Day.
WHOLE STATE INTERESTED
Breaking Up of Old Political
Associations Indicated by
Members Opinions.
WHOLE STATE INTERESTED

It may be safely predicted that the
Committees on Privileges aud Flee
tions OIL the Senate and the House Of
Deiesatcs VIII, at the conclusion u
tho hearings OH the subject OF rear
ranging the lines of the congressional
districts of the State, report TO the
houses committee substitute for the
bowman bin, comprising the views Of
.he pouies after listening to the evil
oence and the argument. The com
"ittees rather expect TO see their bill
amended on the floor Of the House or
tho Senate before final passage but IL
VIII represent the best Judgment OF
thcir members, all things considered.
NO man In Virginia who is at all
interested In public affairs IS Indifferent
10 the redistricting of congressional
ana Legislative areas, and this makes
the matter Of absorbing interest Some
VINO desire to be heard arrived in the
CITY last night. and others Will be here
to-daS II is needless to say that all
OF the ten representatives in Congress-
arc interested. and all of them have
becn notified OF the times OF the hear
ihsS Judges are soiicitous OF the
new alignments of their districts state
senators prefer either that some of
pthetr counties be other taken from
'nelr present locations or placed else
"here The threatened breaking up
of lifetime political associations be-
rAuse or the hhift In population causcs
concern everywhere
VIII Begin To-day
Inc committees Will begin to hear
this matter at o'clock this afternoon,
In the courtroom OF the State Corpo-
ration Commission. pursuant to agree
Inent reached between Chatrmcn Saxon
w. Holt and Martin Williams They
VIII Sit Jointly, SO that those who de-
fire to present their views need no.
appear twice, and SO that tho Issue
may be expedited The committees
Will rise at o'clock this evening and
r'assernbic ut o'clock, rIsing ., a
reasonably hour until o'clock to-
morrow The same routine will then
DC gone through. and o-morrow night
the committees will rice until Thurs
day afternoon. On Thursday night tho
neatlnss as to congressional reappor-
honment Will finally cease ana the
committees will proceed TO the forrnu-
iation OF their bill. The legislature
district hearings Will he held later.
predictions ar to the outcome arc
premature. yet If public sentiment can
be guaged by expressions OF repre-
hentatives of the people in the General
Assembly. certain changes NAV he
fairly assumed to be probable. Not
that everybody agrees 80 them hut
that the members have votes and pre-
sunably voice the opinions Of the ma
jor!ty
ChcHterncId To the Fourth
To begin with, IL seems morally Ger
tam that the county of Chesterfield
winch partly surrounds the portion OF
Richmond south of the James wtII h.
taken from the Third Congregational
District. and put In the Fourth. The
Third IL too large. and the Fourth is
too small The elimination of Chcs-
'craeld would mako the d!gtric, com
prise about @o2.0o0 people. or slightly
more than the veraGe-o bout as close
10 INC proper proportion as Il is poy-
sible TO get. The argument for this
'3 that two Congressman instead OF
one WEI perforcc be at work for James
River Improvement, since Chestcrfetd
fronts that stream from the Richmond
line TO It's junction with the Appomat
tox al city Point.
The only objection to this propos!-
ton is that the Second District is also
too large In population. ara .::at the
only logical and geographical sever
iLncc would come in Putting one of III
counties in the Fourth Taking South
ampton from the Second would leave
that district about right, hut South
annton and Chesterfield would make
The Fourth too large, unless something
els" IL taken on II has bcnn eng
sestcd that Mecklcnburg from III.
Fourth. as well ms Halifax from ,bc
sixth, he placed together in tho Fifth
The latter district has 100 few pco-
nle II is proha bic that Halifax viii
90 to the Fifth. ana her people are
fairly we'll rcconcled TO such an mr.
ranGcmcnt II Mccklcnburg eoes with
them so that TOO large balance Of
bower w!H not vest in the mountain
counties
Other Prohnbir Changes
Placing Spotsylvania and Frcdcriti,s
burg, now in the Fire, District, in The
Eighth, would about cqualta. both ais
tricts. The Bowman bill contempl;,tes
taking Louisa from the Eighth and
putting II in the Seventh. II has benn
suggested that this would eliminate.
the opposition of Il. Lindsay Gordon.
OF Louisa, TO Representative g. c. Car
lin. but as tho Bowman measure wnu,d
also place Caroline in tho Eighth ~
has been jocularIy said al the CAPITOL
that TO he rid OF Mr.. Gordon and
at the same time acquire Or Charles
IT, Gravatt would he II transition from
the frying pan into the IRE, for MI
Carln.
As 70 the Ninth, where perhnps ,be
most interest centres II Is likely that