Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1901 — New Congressional Apportionments Bills. [ARTICLE]

New Congressional Apportionments Bills.

Two new congressional apportionment bills have been introduced in the St Ate Senate. One of these by Senator Conlogue, leaves Jasper county still in the 10th district, but with the district much changed from the present 10th, and from the 10th as proposed in Senator Osborn’s bill. In Conlogue’s bill the district would consist of Newton, Jasper, Pulaski, Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Marshall and Fulton counties. Population 187,178. Republican majority 2,596 The counties that are left off. from the present district, are Benton, White, Warren and Tippecanoe, and those-taken in their places are Pulaski, Starke, Marshall and Fulton. This bill makes 9 Republican districtsand 4 Democratic; as compared with 11 Republican and two Democratic by the Osborn bill. It looks as much like a Democratic gerrymander as the Osborn bill is a Republican; for the average Republican majorites in the state would be 3,919 and the average Democratic majorities only 2,674. The bill is fair enough in its division of population, but in contiguity of counties it is far from perfect. The second bill was by Senator Brooks. It puts Jasper county in the 9th district, composed of Newton, Jasper, Benton. White, Tippecanoe,, Warren, Vermilion, Fountain, Montgomery and Parke counties. The bill radically changes many of the existing districtsThe populations and politics of the districts proposed in this bill have not yet been published.