The original article from 1878 is featured below.
In 1878, Republicans warned in a Lafayette Weekly Courier article that Democrats were reshaping Indiana’s districts to lock in power. Nearly 150 years later, Democrats and some Republicans are raising the same alarm—this time about pressure from Donald Trump to redraw Indiana’s maps mid-Census in hopes of gaining two additional U.S. House seats.
At the time, newspaper editorials like this one criticized Democrats for manipulating district lines, warning that a partisan map would solidify Democratic control for over a decade. The language was dramatic, with claims of “mutilation” and “disfigurement” of the state map, predictions that Democrats would secure 14 out of Indiana’s 20 congressional seats, and accusations of a coordinated national plot.
Democrats gerrymandered the state in the 1870s, which initially provided short-term benefits but failed to deliver the sweeping, long-term control that opponents had feared. Consequently, Indiana politics remained volatile. As soon as Republicans regained control of the legislature, they promptly replaced the map with one that favored their party.
For voters, the outcome was the same: election results frequently deviated from the statewide vote, and representation shifted based on the drawing of electoral districts rather than the actual votes cast. This cycle persisted for decades, disenfranchising voters and failing to deliver the enduring political advantages that the parties were hoping for.
