The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-01
THE APPoRrIoNMENT MIDDLE.

Article 20 of the Constitution provides that
GA census of the State, by State authority
shall be taken in the year 1875, and every ten
years thereafter. In case OF informaliSy'
omission or error in the census returns from
any parish or election district, the General
Assembly may order a new census taken IN
such parish or election district; but, until
the State census of 1875, the apportionment
of the State shall be made on the basis OF the
census of the United States for the year
! 1870"
Article 81 provides that "the General As
sembly, at the first session, after the making
of each enumeration, shall apportion the re-
presentation amongst the several parishes and
Representative Districts on the basis OF the
total population, as aforesaid. representa-
tive number shall be fixed, and each parish
and Representative District shall have as
MANY representatives as the number OF Its
total population will entitle it to have, and an
additional representative for any fraction ex-
ceeding one-half of the representative num-
Der. The number of representatives shall!
never exceed 100 nor be less than 80.
Article 80 provides that sin all apportion-
nents of the Senate the total population OF
the State shall be divided by the number
thirty-six, and the result produced by this
division shall be the Senatorial ratio emitting
a Senatorial District to Senator" And the
concluding sentence of the same article pro-
yides that "Atter an enumeration has been made
10, YJo f;ofb fHp
assembly shall not pass any la,o till an appor-
tionment Of representation IN both Houses Of the
General assembly be nude. p"
Upon reading together these passages relat-
ing to enumeration and apportionment it is
very plain that the enumeration directed in
article 20 means nothing less than CON-
pleted and perfected enumeration, consisting
in part of the original census and IN part
of the new and partial census which
the General Assembly may order as provided
to correct "informality, omission or error in
the census returns FROM any parish or cleo
ton district" Until such completed and
corrected enumeration is made the total popu-
lation of the State cannot be known, and there.
can be fixed. The apportionment can not
even be commenced until returns are made
satisfactory to each house of the General As
sembly. The whole matter is in the custody,
control and supervision of that body, neither
branch of which can act without the concur
renee of the other. After receiving, approx
ing and adopting the returns, as corrected
under their own orders, the General Assem-
bly, will be able to proceed with the appor-
tionment of Senators and representatives.,
but not before, and the latter clause Of arti-
Gle 80 will then be imperative.
The respective Houses will proceed with
the business Of legislation as usual, after re-
ferring the census to committees for examina-
ton and report.
That there are numerous and serious Gin
formalities, omissions and errors in the re-
turns as made, will be palpable to all members
of both Houses as soon as they are read. The
correction is merely question Of time and
expense, but it is imperative and unavoid-
ahla