Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-10-26
Congressional Apportionment.

long SrcSSlOnal AppOEtIOnEieHts
One of the most important duties
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 cen
sus 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 population in
some counties and districts, and its
diminution in others. The Eight
eenth district, for example, which
now consists of the counties of Guy
anoga. Lake and Summit, will be re-
duced in size by cutting off one coun-
ty, owing to the fact that Cleveland
has more than doubled its population
since the census of 1860. Other dis
tricts must be remodled in similar
manner, except that nearly every one,
and all outside the principal cities,
must include larger territory to
make up the requisite number OF in
habtants to be entitled to repre-
sentative in Congress.
BY the law of 1850, rs amended in
1862, the Secretary of the Interior is
required, as soon as possible after
each new census, and without waiting
for any action of Congress. to ascer-
tain the aggre gate representative pop
ulation 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
presentatives, and the quotient will
be the ratio of representation, which
is a trifie under one hundred and six
ty thousand people. If the whole
number of Representatives fails to
be secured by this apportionment, the
total is to be made up by assigning
additional members to the States hav
ing the largest fraction of population
after such division. Tie New York
Post shows the particular results of
this method of computation and ap-
portionment, as follows: 1t says that
"by dividing the number of people in
each State by the ratio thus found,
neg slecting remainders, two hundred
and twenty six Congressman are as
signed to the several States, and fit
teen remain to be awarded to the
largest fractions. These will belong
to California, Indiana, Louisiana,
Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missou-
ri, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia
West Virginia and Wisconsin. BY
this means Indiana, Louisiana: Mary
land, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vir-
ginia and West Virginia, are barely
saved from a loss in theirl represent
alton. The states which lose repre-
sentatives are New York, three, Ohio
and Pennsylvania, two each; Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire.
Rhode Island. Vermont, Connecticut
and Kentucky, one each. Illinois
and Missouri will gain two 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 constitute a
Congressional district. 1t is felt that
Congress, which now has two hun
dred and forty three members, is
large enough for the efficient transac-
ton of business. But the loss which
would be sustained, under the pres
ent 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 con,
sidered on the reassembling of Con-
gress in December, and its determi-
nation will decide whether the bal
ance of political power shall or shall
not be still further transferred from
the East to the West under the oper-
alton of the laws of 1850 and 1852
and the census of IS70.-Cleueland
Leader.