The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-11-30

Some Western papers are making san
guine estimates of the transfer of power
to that section of the country, which is to
be accomplished through the reapportion-
ment Of representation in Congress on the
basis of the coming census Of 1870. 1t
is claimed that the centre Of political
power, now reposing somewhere in the
neighborhood Of Columbus, Ohio, will
then be moved westward to a point at or
near Lafayette, Indiana. These calcula-
tons given the Eastern States of the
North eighty-six Representatives in all
after the next census, and the Western,
including the Pacific States, ninety-two
or nnety-three. This would leave for
the South but sxty-fve members, in order
to make up the total of 243, now allowed
by law, whereas the South isnow entitled
to seventy-fve, and the inclusion hereafter
of all the colored population, instead Of
three-ffths of them, as heretofore, will
certainly add to the representation of
that section. 1t is plain, therefore, that
there is hitch in these calculations.
Western figures in the matter Of popula-
tion are proverbialIy large, especially
when they relate to the future, and are
to be received with discrimination.
1t is not to be denied, however, that
as between the East and the West, there
is steady transfer of political power
going on from the former to the latter.
New England, which in 1910 had thirty
eight members of Congress, and now has
twenty-seven, will, if the present total
membership of the House is retained be
likely to be cut down to twenty-five or
twenty-three. On the other hand, the
Western States, which in lS4O had but
thirty-two Representatives, now have
seventy-fve, and by the next apportion-
ment will probably have nine or ten more.
In other words, the West now precisely
equals the South in political power and,
aside from the the negro vote, to be thtow
all at ONCE into the scale, will rapidly
leave it behind. As to the effect of the
colored vote in this connection it is diff
cult to make in accurate estimate on ac-
count of the great changes which war and
emigration have made since 1860 in the
population of the South The best stat
isticans, however, have credited nine Re-
publicans to this source. All these things
tell against New England. We have
long been prepared for it, though. Our
power does not reside in numbers, and
our numbers, are by no means confined
to the area of our own soil. A great
part of the West-and probably, in the
future, of the South-is a good enough
New England for our purposes. Our
men are there, our culture is there, our
IDEAS are there; and it is sometimes
thought that all are energized and improv-
ed by the change. As to the local power
and influence Of New England upon tn,
national destinies we have thus far nc
; reason to complain, and, so far as we arC
aware, nothing to apprehend hereafter
We do trust, however, that the next basis
of apportionment will be so modified a
to leave the present representation o
New England in Congress intact, becaus,
, that, by bringing the total membership
of the House up to nearly three hundred
would still keep it of good size for thu
transaction of business, would secure
p; more thorough and equitable representa-
tion of the whole country, and, thougl
:, not affecting the proportion between New
England and the other States, would b.
much more acceptable to our people thai
reduction of our present representative
force.