Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-01-18
.,,., an, n.,.r,ure Of Trains.
The Basis of Representation.

menL OF representatives III NobSAS''
shall be based upon the voters, or upon
the population, of the several states, Is
one in which Vernon, ~ common with !
the other Ea-s,,,erp states mas a very |
ueep interest, In addition, therefore,
co what was said on this subject in our
paper Of Saturday. we give below a
clear and important statement of the
case, made by Mr., Blaine Of Maine in
the House of Representatives on the
9Th inst The object of amending the
eonstl' .ution in this respect at all, is to
excJ' Lde from the computation, in APP
Forthcoming representatives. the colored
population Of the South so long as the
right OF suffrage shall be denied that
population by the Southern States.
Mr. Blaine's proposition would effect
this object as well as the proposed
amendment TO base representation upon
voters, while the latter amendment
would work grest injustice to the Eas
tern States as well as tend to lower the
standard Of suffrage everywhere. For
this reason New England will favor
MIR. Blaine's amendment Gas between
thu se TWO proposi1ons) but the West
er States, it is Supposed, will support
Il ne other ifthey think they can carry it
sithout the help OF the Eastern States.
Mr. Blaine's remarks were as follows:
"Snce the beginning of the present
session, Mr.. Chairman, we have had
several propositions to amend the Fed
'eral Constitution with respecS to the
basis of representation in Congress.
These propositions have offered some
what in phrase, but they all embrace
substantially the one idea of making
suffrage instead Of population the basis
of appertioning Representatives or in
Otherwords to give to the States in fu-
~ture representation proportional to
their voters instead o. their inhabitants.
The effect contemplated and intended
by this change is perfectly well under
stood, and on all hands frankly avowed.
1t is to deprive the lately rebellious
States of the unfair advantage of
large repTes entatation in this House,
based on their colored population, so
long as that population shall be denied
political rights by the legislation of
those States. The proposed constitu-
tional amendment would simply say to
those States, while you refuse to en-
franchise your black population you
shall have no representation based on
their numbers but admit them to civil
and political rights and they shall at
once be counted to your advantage in
the apportionment Of Representatives.
Tho direct uplect thus aimed at, as it
respects the rebellious States, has been
80 generally approved that little thought
seems to have been given to the Incl
dental evils which the proposed con-
stitutionai amendment would inflct on
. large portion of the loyal States-evils
in my judgment, so serious and alarm
ing as to lead me to oppose the amend
ment in any form in which it has yet
been presented. AS an abstract pro-
position nc one will deny that popula-
ton is the true basis OF representation
for womea, children, and other non-vo-
ting classes may have as vital an inter
est in the legislation of the country as
those who actually deposit the ballot.
Indeed, the very amendment we are
discussing implies that population is
the true basis, inaSmuch as the exclu-
sion Of the black people Of the South
from political rights has suggested this
Indirectly scOerCive mode of securing
them those rights. Were the negroes
to be enfranchised throughout the
sSouth today, no one would insist on
the adoption of this amendment; and
yet-if the amendment shall be incorpo-
Jared in the Federal Constitution, its
INCIDENTAL evils will abide 10 the loyal
& tstes long after the direct evil which
u asins to cure may have been eradi-
20, g in the southern States.
ttYoters instead of population shall
be n sae5 tAe p%sts Vi representation, Ger
tain tsGults will follow, not fully appre-
ciate, perhaps by some who are now
nrgen, SgQr the change. | will confine
NV eva Ginatiou Ofthese results to the
ninatppr gree States whose statistics are
,,roeanta. I in the census of 1850 and
tbe vprvl 4Gical change which the new
hasis nj representation would produce
omono ano between those States forms
The Ground @frmy opposition to it,
the ratio o. voters to population diff
fora very wi Sely in different sections,
varvSnp in the states referred to FROM a
miniu9 of ni,st xsan per cent. to maxi
mum Cf ffty,, sgt,t per oe<t. and the
changes which l ule lacC "oald WORK In
the Tepresentati' N nf certain states
would be mon. st,f3us. For example,
California has ,ootnlaticn OF 1868, ITO,
and Vermont 8l4, 3.s9s aud ench has three
representatives Gu the na0r to-day. But
California has 2O7, W voters and Yer
mont has 81, 900. assuming voters as
the basis Of apportion taent, and allow
ing to Vermont three representatives,
California would be en- Hs@ea 70 eight.
The great state of Ohio, with nearly
seven times the population of Califor-
MIA. would have but little more than
Two and half times the number OF Iep-
resentatives and New York, with quite
eleven times the population of Califor-
mia, would have in the new style OF ap-
portionment less than five times the
nuubsr OF members Of this House. 1t
may be said that California presents an
extreme case, but no more SO than will
continually recur for the next century