Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-11-26
TnE NEW APPoRTIONmENr.
Republican Opposition 10 Demo.
cratic Handling of the SUBJ
Ject-State Redistric-
ton.

New York Herald Washington Special
If one may credit what is said
among republicans here these mean to
commit the folly Of resisting the new
apportionment of representation &C.
cording to the census of the pres mt
year by the present house. The cry
is; We do not mean to let the demo
cratic congress make the apportion-
ment. OIL course this is the CRY Of
dense ignorance, but there is lust TO-
a superabundance of foolish zeal on
the republican side. There are even
many silly enough to cry out that the
democrats shall have no share in the
Inauguration ceremonies, as though
General Garfield we're to be told from
the first that he shall not be president
of the whole country, but only of the
republican party. As to the appor-
tionment bill, Of course it has no pol
'itics in it. all that congress does is
to decide upon the number or repre-
%sentstives. By dividing the total
population ofthe states BY the mum
Der it obtains the ratio of representa-
ton, and by then divid
ing the population Of each
state by this ratio it obtains the
number Of representatives to which
each state is entitled. In this divis-
ion there are, of course, always frac
tional parts, and as the result almost
certainly leaves the nun Der Of repre-
sentatives short Of the number fixed
on beforehand, the state having the
largest fractions are given an addition
al representative. In this apportion-
ment it is possible hat the fractions
shall so fall out as to give one or two,
or at most three, extra congressman
to republican or democratic states, so
called, but that is the extreme extent
of the possible gain to either party,
and even that is very uncertain.
Those republicans, therefore, who are
crying out that the democratic con-
gfess shall not make the apportion-
ment," have probably some other
object to subserve in forcing an extra
session, and this is the more probable
because they can scarcely help seeing
that to throw the apportionment over
until the 4th Of March and into an
extra session is to run the risk of in.
hicting a real loss upon their party.
1t is the state legislature which, af-
ter the apportionment is made, there
upon proceed to redistrict the states.
Congress does not do this. Now, in all
the so called uncertain states the re-
publicans have this fall carried the
legislatures, and ifthe winter session
of congress declares the apportion-
ment these republican legislatures
will redistrict the statel, and every
body knows they will do this to their
own advantage. Throw it over to an
extra session, and TIE legislatures to
be chosu next fall will do the redis-
tricting, and some, at least, Of these
may be democratic. New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio
and Connecticut have 10 eight dem
ocratic senators, but in the senate
opening after the 4th Of March they
will have ten republican senators and
only two democrats. This shows that
these states sometimes in the past
haze had democratic legislatures, snd
may again In the future, but just now
ali their legislatures are republican.
1t would seem that the republi-
cans would want to take advantage of
what they have got now and not wait
for the chances Of another election,
especially when these states send 104
members-mors than a third Of the
probable number Of the house under
the new apportionment. Nothing is
easier than to force an extra session
Of congress, and unless the business
interests and business men of the
country speak out in time there is
abundant reason to believe hat it will
be done.