Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-05-27
WARD LINES
Communicated

II Is NOT easy, at leaSt,not 1eaSl-
Bile, to arrange ward lines so as to
avoid larger number Of residents
and voters in one ward than in an
other, This, has always been the case
The General Assembly recognizes
this as necessary, for it provides by
law that council shall by ordinance
prescribe the number of members Of
its. branches and reapportion the
number of members of it's branches
and ;reapportion the representation
! of the Council among the wards, but
so as to give. as far as practicable.
Ito each branch of such equal repre-
sentation in the Council thereof, o:
in either branch Of said Council. in
proportion to the population of such
Eward, to be governed by the last
United States census, or such en-
Enumeration as may be authorized by
| the General Assembly; provided.
however, that the population iii any
ward shall not exceed another as
| much as three thousand inhabitants"
Those familiar with our local poll
tical history know that the Third
| Ward was extended to the middle OF
Prince and Pitt Streets in order that
the white vote would be sufficient to
control, leaving the Fourth war az
probably republican, because it was
4 for years represented in both bran
ches Of Council by negroes. The last
election in which the negro vote was
east to any extent was in 1900. The
vote was as follows, white and black:
First Ward,I490, Second Ward, 418
Third Ward 1858, Fourth, Ward III.
After the Constitution went onto eff
feet in 1902. things were differen!
and the ward lines were changed
| The Third ward has. increased III po-
| pulation because it is u residential
| ward. The largest vote cast in Alex
| andria was in the Bryan Mckinley
election, 1896 campaign, when votes
in excess Of $500 were cast, much
more than twice the number cast
since the new constitution went in.
to effect. However, this is dig
ression. We started out to discus:
the ward lines. According to the as
sessment made by Mr.. Callahan. the
Commissioner of Revenue, there were
1919 males Of voting age in Alex
andria in March May, 1914, as fol-
lows: In First Ward 8SS. Second Ward
S41, Third ward 1897. Fourth ward
1852, Total 1919. In the nine squares
from King-(north side) and the west
side of Washington and east side Of
Columbus TO city limits on the north
there were ISL males of voting age,
and in the seven squares south side
of king-west side of Washington
and East side Of Columbus to the
city limits on the south, 100 males
of voting age.
Should the ward lines Of the First
and Second wards be extended to
take in the east side of Columbus
street, based upon these figures, the
wards would be az follows: First
ward 1857, Second ward 1922, Third
ward 1916. Fourth ward 9S4. The iu-
crease in the fourth ward from Fair
fax county twenty would be the fl
cures in excess Of 1000, and, Of
course, an increase in the Third ward.
This i. perhaps as near as possible
toward equalization unless what isl
termed shoe string wards. are res
orted to. The wards would be on
straight lines. While the figures
above will not give accurately the
population in the wards. yet it gives
an idea as to population, and a part ;
census would only give what was to
be ascertained in certain limits leav- !
ing TO conjecture what was elsewhere.
The people tire Of countless visits
60 their home and census, should be
avoided, if possible. a city directory
has Just been published. The Commits
sioner Of Revenue is busy calling up
on people for information. The school
census is now being taken. and the
state assessors calling for informa-
ton as TO real estate. Why not give
the public respite
CITIZEN.
80 49, ;Js::,sst..->-