How They Propose To Gerrymander

How They Propose to Gerrymander.

The Republicans are up to their old tricks again and propose to so gerrymander the state as to carry as many congressmen as possible. Formerly they supposed that Hillsdale and Lenawee could more than hold down Monroe and Washtenaw, but two years ago James S. Gorman broke the spell and carne in a winner by nearly 2,000. So now to make assurance doubly sure they propose in the Republican measure just introduced in the legislature to put Branch county in with Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, and Washtenaw. As Branch county is supposed to be good for 1,200 Republican majority, the Republicans dream that they have made reasonably sure of a Republican majority. It does not matter if the new district has more than enough inhabitants to constitute a district. It is supposed to be Republican. Of course it makes no difference to Washtenaw Republicans if Washtenaw is put in a district with four other counties through the center of which runs the Lake Shore road, and with which Washtenaw has no good railroad connection. The proposed district in 1888 gave Harrison a majority of 2,642, made up as follows: Branch, 1,358; Hillsdale, 1,924; Lenawee, 801; while Monroe went Democratic by 510 and Washtenaw by 931. That was a bad year for the Democrats, just as '90 was a bad year for the Republicans, when Winans carried the proposed district by 1,316. Last year the Republican majority in the proposed district was about 1,200. Next year will be a bad year for the Republicans when the people come to set the seal of their condemnation on the gerrymander.