Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-01-19
Congressional.
BAsIs or RspREssNTAT TIoY.
REMARKS OF MR.. BLAINE OF MAINE,
u. IL -. .i..a- l.. o.

present session, Mr.. Chairman, we have had
several propositions to amend the Federal
Constitution with respect to the basis Of rep.
resentation in Congress. These propositions
have differed somewhat in phrase. but they
all embrace substantially the one idea Of ma
king suffrage instead Of population the basis
OF apportioning Representatives or in other
words, to give to the States in fut re a repre-
sentation proportional to their voters instead
of their inhabitants.
The effect contemplated and intended by
this change is perfectly well understood, and
on all hands frankly avowed Itie to deprive
the lately rebellious States Of the unfair ad-
vantage ofa large representation in this House,
based on their coored population, so long as
that population shall be denied political rig hts
by the legislation Of those sfstes The pro-
posed constitutional amendment would simply
say to those States, while you refuse to en-
franchise your black population you shall
have no representation based on their num-
oers but admit them to civil and political
rights and they shall at once be counted to
your advantage in the apportionment Of Rep
resentatives.
The direct object thus aimed at, as it res
poets the rebellious States has been 80 gem
orally approved that little thought seems to
have been given to the incidental evils which
the proposed constitutional amendment would
infiet on a large portion of the loyal States
evils, Id my judgment, so serious and alarm
ing as to lead me to oppose the amendment
in any form in which ii has yet been present.
ed. As an abstract proposition no one will
deny that population is the true basis Of rep
resentston for women, children, and other
n-vnting nlaaeaa haw 80 ~ =
terest in the legislation of the country as
those who actually deposit the ballot. In
deed, the very amendment we are discussing
implies that population is the true basis, in
asmuch as the exclusion Of the black people
Of the South from political rights has sugges-
ted this indirectly coercive mode of securing
them those rights. Were the negroes to be
enfranchised throughout the South to-day, no
one would insist on the adoption of this
amendment and yet if the amendment shall
be incorporated in the Federal Constitution,
its incidental evils will abide in the loyal
States long after the direct evil which it aims
to cure may have been eradicated in the south
ern States.
If voters instead Of population shall be
made the basis Of representa- tion, certain re-
suits will follow, not fully appreciated per-
haps by some who are now urgent for the
change. | will confne my examination of
these results to the nineteen free States whose
statistics are presented in the census of 1860;
and the very radical change which the. new
basis of representation would produce among
and between those States forms the ground
of my opposition 10 it, The ratio of voters
TO PoPuletiOn differs very widely la different
sections, varying in The States referred to
from a minimum Of nineteen per cem to
maximum Of ftty-eigh per cent, and the chan
ges which this fact would work in the rela-
tive representation OF certsinrStates would be
For example, California has
population of 35S, ITO, and Vermont 3 IA, 1863,
and each has three Representatives on this
floor to-day. But California has 207 900 vo-
ters and Vermont has 81 900 Assuming vo-
ters as the basis of apportionment, and allow
ing to Vermont three Representatives, Cali
fornia would be entitled to eight. The great
State of Ohio with nearly seven times the
population Of California would have but little
more than two and a half times the number of
and New York, with quite
eleven times the population Of California,
would have in the new style of apportionment
less than FIVE times as many members of this
House. California it may be said presents
An extreme case, but no more so than will
recur for the next century under
the stimulus to the emigration Of young vo-
tsrs from the older States to the inviting fields
Of the Mississippi valley and the Pacific slope
But cases less extreme than California will
present quite as clearly the injurious working
Of the proposed change. Take two States
one in the East and one in the West--not
greatly differing in aggregate population, for
example, Massachusetts, and Indiana the
former with ,22l ,432 inhabitants, the latter
with 1923, ,7l0. Massachusetts has to-day
ten Representatives on this floor and Indiana
has eleven, an exactly fair apportonment.
But Massachusetts, has only 227,429 voters,
while Indiana has SIG 1924, and therefore on
the new basis, if Massachusetts should retain
her ten Representatives, Indiana would be al
lowed about fifteen, and If Indians should be
confined TO her eleven, Massachusetts, would
be reduced to seven. And | might adduce
many other instances showing the gross ine-
qualities of representation to which the pro-
posed amendment would snbject the loyal
States.
Mr.. STEVENS. Will the gentleman allow
me to ask him question
Mr.. BLAINE. Certainly.
Mr.. STEVENS. What is the cause Of this
disparity OF men and women in Mass achusetts
and in the New England States : Is it not
that the men go to the western States as en-
igrantss
Mr. BLAINE. / suppose 1t is.
Mr.. STEVENS. Very we'll is not Massa-
represented there, ihen'
Mr.. BLAINE. Not according to some ha-
rangues we hear in this House from gentle
men representing that section on the tariff, as
my distinguished ftiend on the Committee Of
Ways and Means knows very we'll. They 60
there, become identified with what they term
western interests, and, am sorry to say, at
tack New England and New England interests.
Mr.. GRINNEL. Not all OF them.
Mr.. BLAINE. And there are other objec-
tions, Mr.. Chairman, to the proposed consti-
tutional amendment. Basing representation
on voters--unless Congress should be en-
powered to define their qualifcations-wou.d
tend to cheaper suffrage every where. There
would be an unseemly scramble in all the
States during each decade to increase by ey-
cry means the number Of voters, and all con-
servative restrictions, such as the requirement
Of reading and writing now enforced in some
Of the states, would be stricken down in
rash and reckless effort to procure an enlarged
representation in the national councils. For
eigners would be invited to vote on a mere
preliminary declaration OF intention" and