Show ta THE gerrymander IN his last message to congress president ident harrison said mid 1 I have re dently been b advised that in one county of a certain state three districts for the cletion le tion of members of the legislature are constituted as follows one has population one and one 10 while in another county detached noncontiguous non contiguous sections have been united to make a legislative district strict oi this illustrates what is meant by the term gerrymander and as applied to apolitical apportionments is usually adopted for party advantages by it the democratic districts can be made republican and vice verse versa too enuch could not be said in condemnation of the practice the word is pronounced with a hard 0 and is derived from the name of the politician gerry who introduced the system shortly after the great political revolution in wisconsin about two years ago tho the beul ture tare enacted a new apportionment portion ment law said to he be favorable to the democratic party the republicans were indignant and charged the legislature with an attempt to steal the state by gerrymandering the democrats replied by saying that they only adhered to the policy adopted by republicans be u blicaus since 1876 the th matter was finally taken to the supreme court of the state and on the dinst at madison the decision of that tribunal unanimously declared ahe ne law unconstitutional the court advised that the governor may convene an extra e session Is of the legislature for the special purpose of enacting ng anew ft new apportionment lawor the districts may remain as they were before th law pasted by the last legislature the decision is explicit and is already attracting wide attention it is based on the theory that the county count y lie Is the primal territorial unit of representation sen tation and that in the formation of districts counties should not be dismembered that is if no assembly district can lawfully be formed which embraces om braces territory in two or more counties unless the whole of such counties are included therein fractions of two or more counties or one county and a fraction of another county cannot comprise a constitutional assembly amenably district which it is tie de aided must be entirely bounded by county lines the law in question dismembered cUa 20 counties many democrats democrate as aa well as republicans rejoice at the decision cleion de and both agreed in stating that gerry mauderine mau dering prevailed previous to the apportionment of the last legislature it is ie said eaid that governor peck feck will issue a call for a special session to consider a new apportionment measure in harmony with the decision of the supreme court of the state of wisconsin |