The Spirit Of Democracy

The Locke Redistricting Bill,

The Times is a Republican paper, and does its best to maintain the principles of the Republican party. But the best interests of the party will not, in our opinion, be subserved by acting on the principle that "he shall take who has the power, and shall keep who can." The Locke bill for redistricting the State would, if it originated with the Democrats and gave them seventeen of the twenty-one districts, be denounced by Republicans as an infamous gerrymander. Coming from the Republicans it deserves no milder name. The party that adopts such a bill cannot defend its action against the just complaints of the people. The Republican party is in the majority in this State, and should have a majority of the Congressmen; but it does not outnumber its opponents four to one, and no trick that can be devised will give us seventeen safe districts.

A great deal of virtuous indignation has been vented over the gerrymander in West Virginia, and the shape of the districts there has been the special target for the satire of Republicans. But the Locke bill, while adhering to the letter of the law which says that the districts shall be composed of contiguous counties, carves out some districts which are as ill shaped as any district in any State can be. Look at the third district, composed of the counties of Butler, Warren, Clermont, Greene and Fayette; at the Fourteenth, composed of Holmes, Coshocton, Licking, Fairfield and Hocking; at the Thirteenth, composed of Monroe, Washington, Athens, Meigs and Gallia; and at the Fifteenth, composed of Knox, Richland, Ashland, Huron and Lorain. Is there anything in the spirit of our laws to justify such stringing out of territory? Counties are piled on top of each other like stones in the tower of Babel. They look shaky on the map, and some of them will be found very shaky at the next election.