The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-10-20
rhs congressional AppOrtioment.

One of the most important duties
devolving on the Legislature just
elected will be that of re-districting
the State for Congressman. This is
not optional with the Legislature
but is necessitated by the change in
the apportionment. Under the late
census Ohio will have but seventeen
members in the next Congress in
stead of nineteen as in the present.
OF course, therefore, the districts
must be recast, making two less
than now, and their boundaries
changed to suit the increase Of po-
pulation in some counties and dis
tricts, and its diminution in others.
The Eighteenth district, for example
which now consists of the counties
of Cuyahoga, Lake and Summit, will
be reduced in size by cutting off one
county, owing to the fact that Cleve-
land has more than doubled its
population since the cencus
of 1860. Other districts must be
remodeled in a similar manner, ev-
cept that nearly every one, and all
outside the principal cities, must in
clude a larger territory to make up
the requisite number of inhabitants
to be entitled to q representative in
Congress.
BY the law of 1850, as amended in
1852, the Secretary of the Interior
is required, as soon as possible after
new census, and without waiting for
anv action of Congress, to ascertain
the aggregate representative popula-
ton Of the United States. This is
to be divided by two hundred and
forty-one, the number of members
allowed by law in the House Of Re
representatives., and the quotient will
he the ratio of representation, which
is a trife under one hundred and
sixty thousand people. If the whole
number Of Representatives fails to
be secured by this apportionment,
the total is to be made up by assign
ing additional members to the states
having the largest fraction Of popu-
alton after such division. The new
York Post shows the particular re
suits of this method of computation
and apportioGment, as follows: 1t
says that "by dividing the number
of people in each state by the ratio
thus found, neglecting remainders,
TWO hundred and twenty-six Con
gressmen are assigned to the several
states, and fifteen remain to be
awarded, to the largest fractions.
These belong to California, Indiana,
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland. Mime
sofa, Missouri, New Jersey, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tenne-
see, Virginia, West Virginia and
Wisconsin. By this means Indiana,
Louisiana, Maryland, North Carroll
ma, Tennessee, Virginia and West
Virginia are barely saved from a loss
in their representation. The states
which loose representatives are New
York, three: Ohio and Pennsylvania
two each; Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Yer
mont, Connecticut and Kentucky,
one each. Illinois and Missouri
will gain one each; Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey,
Texas and Wisconsin one EACH"
1t is not impossible that Congress
may yet take measures to increase
the number of Representatives, con
sequently diminishing the number
of population necessary to consti-
tute Congressional district. 1t is
felt that Congress, which now has
two hundred and forty-three mem
bers, is large enough for the efficient
transaction of business. But the
loss which would be sustained, un-
der the present law of apportionment
by the New England States, New
York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, may
induce Congress to raise the number
to about two hundred and eighty.
This is one of the first matters to
be considered on the resembling of
Congress in December, and its de-
termination will decide whether the
balance of political power shall or
shall not be still further transferred
from the East to the West under the
operation Of the laws of 1850 and
1862 and the census of 1870
Leader.