The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-01-17
By J. Z. RKED.
Special Dispatch to IAtellingcnccr.


& - w re
Charleston, Jan. l6 - Discussions
among officials today indicated that
: among tho first matters 70 be taken up
by Legislature will be the redistricttng
Of the state as TO its senatorial dis
trlcts. The 1920 census as given out
! by counties for West Virginia has been
filed with Clerks NJ. S. Hodges of the
House Of Delegates and John 7. Harris
of the Senate in order that tho popula-
ton of the various districts and coun-
ties in the state might become a part
of the record.
Senator's Harvey w. Harmer OF Clarks-
burg and Delegate G. w. McClintic OF
kanawha county have taken II unon
themselves to prepare a bill for redis-
trictinc the state in order to get the
matter before the legislature and are
now working on the matter. Their bill
will probably be ready by "Wednesday.
II will be completed within the next
few days and presented among the hrst
measures brought before the body. IN
, discussing the bill Mr.. McClintic pointed
out that tho total population or the
state Is in round numbers l.45S,OVO, max
ing the base for district division so
long as the senate Is kept on It's present
sic, that is thirty members. "o'S'V.
With this figure as the amount allotted
70 each district, he says, tho httecn
senatorial districts find that they arc
all either too small OF too large by
, several thousands.
Redistr1cttnS Necessary.
"RedIstr!cting," he says, "is necessary
in order 10 maintain n proper dlstrlhu-
ton OF the states representatives. IN
, der the present division we find that the
eighth district Of which hanaWha
/ county is a part has over $4,000 people
! or nearly big enough TO make TWO ais
tricts. or this number. $4,000 hNo IN
Kanahwa county. Therefore II VIII
necessarily be one district by itself
I BOOM, and Logan counties must o'
taken into other districts in order 70
keep the representation or the sCa>e
equitable.
The smallest district in the state IS
the Fourth. comprising the counties Oh
Mason, Jackson and Roane where tne
population only totals 60,246. The flt-
teenth district comprising inc TOUR
counties of the Eastern Panhandle Is
uttlo larger having 6o.35S, while IN the
Second Thirteenth and Third the popu-
Iatlon Is 7O.OOO.72.OOO and 5000 re-
spcctively. The Tenth district can only
muster 1000 people.
First to stay Put"
These districts can not III my MIND
he continued. hope to remain uh-
changed and have the same representa-
ton as would the Sixth district with
$4,000 people and the Seventh with
$4,000. In fact there Is only one d">
! trict Of the entire state that Will not
face a change and that is the First Inc
three upper counties. BROOKE hahCoCh
and Ohio now form rs equitable dlFl-
sion as II IS possible TO make. Ihcr
total population is 1884.
".rhc same trouble exists in apportion~
ing the members of the house or dele
gates. II the house IL retained as II IS
now with but 81 members. and l do not
/ favor increasing II at all, the oaSc
, for division will have to be one delegate
TO $4,000 This brings forth the Ola
question. which II has been thought
was settled in 1902. when the delegate
districts comprising more thah one
county were done away with. That is
are We justified in giving the county OIL
peasants with It's 1000 populations
Grant and Morgan with their 5000 earh'
aud pendleton and Hardy with 5000
oocb tho right to one representative.
when counties such. as kanahWa VII"
119 600 people. Harrison with 1900. Nc
Dowell with $4,000, Cabell with $500"
and Ohio with $4,000 must be satisfied
with only one representative Tor every
II GOO people. All OF this must ne
worked out at this session Of legislature
and a bill presented. Senator H'rin'r
and both working on the proposition
with the aid Of q number or the other
members.
No "Gerrynaandering"
I'm redistricting the state We WAL NOT
have 10 do any 'gerrymanderlhE III -!
der TO save the Republican party. We
b,ve agreed that there are no poSsinle
combinations that would make Democra-
! tic control a probability under normal
conditions"
People from the northern part or inc
state however point out that th're -
q possibility Of redistrictinc the st"to III
such 4 manner as 10 place the senate
control entirely IN one section. IPr
growth of the southern part oi the Sl9iS
,hey say, has made ii appear that "hl'SS
rho changing of district lines Is G"N"
in a very careful mapncr. tn" G'NlS'""
nil, no, be SO equitable as the de!"S''' c
from Kanahwa desires. In fac;' '"'F
fear that districting along strictly north
and south lines will place control en-
tirely south of the kanahwa rN''' ny
reason Of the populous counties Of ca
bell. Mcdowell. Logan and N!c,t''
which they believe coupled with the
smaller counties OF the. interior would
give much of the power NOW throWh
coward the center OF the state into the
hand; Of the extreme south
The congressional districts OF IN"
stat. will also be changed. although AZ
IN the first case. the counties or the
north do not come within the terrt"r?
, 10 be touched. The First district IL
! now practically normal, says MT NC
! Clintic. Arrangements must DC hia"'
however for Shc formation Of the as
Nfvfrt In