New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-08
SOME .4PPORrIONNENT RIG URES.

II will be a difficult matter to pass any aD-
pOrtioRmcnt bill AZ this session. Members from
the North who vote for any such bill rs Is
| likely 10 command the support Of Il majority
in the present House will be voting them
selves into political graves. A. yet there is
not much feeling on the subject. 1t has not
been sunic nifty discussed to command popular
understanding. But if any Northern member
VOTES for bill the practical ELECT Of which is
to decree that for ten years to come 100 voters
at the South shall be equal 10 more than no
voters at the North, he may rest assured, that
the people will understand it thoroughly be-
fore the next COngIe >Sional election takes
place.
1t is true that the Constitution does not re-
quire Congress to aQpOrtiOn its members ac-
cordinE 10 the number OF votes cast in the
several States. II does require Congress to
apportiOn according to population. But
IN doing tits there is wide room for
choice. BY making tho number of MEM
bcrs of the House larger or smaller, as the
official tables show, an appOrtIonmcnt based
on population will be made to yield II large
gam i'll the relative strength of one section or
the other. II the number of members in the
House be reduced to 300, an appOrtiOnmcnt
based on population, and made according TO
the mode prescribed by the Constitution, will
givc.a net gam of nine members to the old
Slave States. If the number OF members in
the House be- increased to 322, an appOrtiOn-
mcnt based on population, aud made according
to the constitutional mode, will give IL net
gain of three members to the North. Between
the two the House has full power to choose
in, of bn nal
requirements. 1t ought to choose having due
regard to the fact that II Northern voter ought
to have as much power i'll the Government us
a Southern voter.
Neither the bill which the Democratic Com
nit &c has reported, fixing the number at 81,
nor the bill which Mr.. Cox 50 earnestly advO-
Gates, fixing the number at 301, has proper
regard tor the facts. With 81 members, lis of
them will como from the South, and the
Northern majority, now 81, will be-
reduced to IS. With 3O1 members, 112
will come from the South, and the Northern
majority will be reduced to II. Now the
whole number of votes polled i'll all the old
Slave States at the recent Presidential election
was 2,77695l. The Northern States cast
G44l 1876 votes. Within the limits OF choice
which the Constitution fixes, the appOrtiOn-
ment ought to be so made that the Northern
voter shall have rs nearly as possible equal
power with the Southern voter. Entire
equality cannot he attained in compliance
with the Constitution. But that principle of
justice which it is the design of the COnstitu-
ton to uphold demands that Congress shall
not g. choose as to give greater power than
the Constitution requires to tbs sectlO which
has the smallest proportion of voters.
With 81 members, %, 533 voters at the
South will be permitted to elect IL m ember,
while 33,376 voters mt the North will be
needed to eject a member Ina Ii, 100
Southern voters will have as much 40 wer us
142 Northern voters. With 3OI memberS,
24704 voters at the South and 3l0S2 ut the
North will elect u member. That is, 100
Southern voters will have as much power as
1877 Noriheu voters. If amy Northern member
OF Congress vQles for either of these bills,
there will be care taken to explain to his con-
stltuents the meaning OF his vote. They Will
be asked whether il seems to them that 100
votes east or counted ut the South ought to
have as much power rs 142 or 1877 votes cast
by themselves.
L rue, the Constitution does not permit this
inequality to be wholly remcdied. So much
the less excuse is there for those who propose
to make the inequality greater than it neees-
sarily is. Ii is possible to retain the present
number of members, or TO increase the number
far enough TO secure a net gain 70 the section
having the largest number OF voters We do
not here discuss the remedy which may be
applied under the Fourteenth Amendment OF