Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-04
THE REAPPOkTIONMENr.
The Necessity for It's Completion by the
Present Congress.

The Necessity for Its Completion by tn
Present Congress.
Washington Special, Dec. l..
An important objection is being urged BY
a good many members against deferring the
passage of an apportionment bill to the mex
Congress. It is that most of the State leg
islatures meet biennially and hold their regu.
lar sessions this winter. If the apportion-
ment bill is not passed by this Congress ac-
ton can not be taken by these Legislatures
until two years from this time, unless extra
sessions are called, which would entail addi-
tioual expense upon the States. In case no
extra sessions are called in some of the
States, apportionments by the legislatures of
those States under the new law could not
take place, therefore, until after the next
Confessional election. Consequently, in
some of the States Represent
atives in Congress would be
elected under the new appointment act.
while in others they would be elected under
the old law. On this ground legislation on
this subject will be urged this winter by
Republicans as well as Democrats. There
will be no occasion to postpone it on the
ground that the popular census Is not COM
pIete, for Gen. Walker says that in two or
three weeks he will be able to present COM
plete statistics of the population of the coun-
try. The work of taking the census is SUBJ
stantially complete, returns having been re-
ceived from all but seven Of the total num-
Der of 1866 enumeration districts. Re-
garding this work Gen. Walker says that
during the month of December tables will
be submitted exhibiting the population of
each State and county in the United States,
distinguished as native or foreign, white OF
eolored, male or female. 1t is not likely
that completion of the census will be post
poned beyond December, so there can be
no excuse for delaying the passage of the
apportionment act. Some members, how
ever, have individual reasons for desiring to
put off the passage of this law until the
present terms of State legislatures shall have
expired. These are members whose districts
will be affected by State apportlonments sc
as to prevent their reelection to Congress
They will, of course, from personal interest
desire postponement of this legislation unit
the next Congress, and opposition to the bill
may come largely from them. If they should
succeed in defeating the bill this winter, {
called session is by some considered inevi
table, in order that the law may be passet
before the expiration of the terms of legis
latures whose sessions are held bien
nially. 1t is not believed by most member
who have thus far arrived that there will be
party division on the question of consid
eraticn of the bill by the ensuing session
unless the bill should contain provision
particularly detrimental to one side or th'
other; but if the bill is fair one, there vii
be no greater opposition to it from Repub
loans than Democrats. Mr.. Dunnell, O
Minnesota, and Mr.. Baker, of Indiana, wht
are now here, probably represent the feeling
on the Republican side when they say tina
this Congress ought to pass an apportion-
ment bill, and that tho sooner the matter j!
settled the better, as it sets at rest the ques
ton as to what the future delegations o
States will be.