The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-01-20
TEE APPoRTIONMEHT

TIE APPORTI0NMEHT. i
Jtisa mootei question whether the present
o,nnres. will or not make the coagressiohai
a,nortionment under the census OF iast ySN'
II seams at this writing that the Official cen
sus report is not yet ready, or al ieAs' NAV
not been presented: Some persons suEs'''
that this official report is withheld on puf.
pose, as the census bureau Is IN inc hAhSS
tho republican party, and the present t"A
gress being democratic, the basis OF SppSi
tionu,ent might be made a. lower
f,,rss than the republicans might
desire, that tie southern states woulo 'n'i0'J
get larger percentage oil conSrSS'nS"'
Wbila Il ia true that SEINE of the southern
states have SO rapidly Increased IN popsi"-
ton as to gain largely i'll congressional repre-
sanitation, yet, we incline to the oPih'oA'
from tina little We have been able to gisah
from the census reports made puohc' 'ns'
tba south. AZ whole, has not materially
gained in this respect. BWt,supposlng las' me
south had doubled in population and wouio
therefore gain in its congressional represeh-
tation very lgely,ia that any reason "h''"n'
oood valid reason wherein the prosperity
the country is concerned, the repuoheah
psrty or any other party should mako the
annortionment a political issue and sup
nress official reports Of the census until
renublican congress came into power to set
thereon We don't assert that the ceHhus
returns are being kept back, because We
don't know that. this ia fact, bat II seems
reasonable, rs such extraordinary Efforts
ware made to have. tho entire
csnsus of the country compiled by
the end of June, 1880, that the
bureau ought to-be able to lay oil It's facts
and figures before this congress, that 1t nighs
at once take official action so as to enable
state legislatures now in session to ro-appor-
tioa their states. There are at this time
twenty legislatures.in session, some OF which
will not meet again after they adjourn for
two years. The next congress does not meet
sgaln until December of this year, and ii
census matters are postponed unit! then, why
those states entitled to an increased represenr
tation in congress,will not be enabled to On
10Y their privilege without called session OF
the legislature, if their sessions are bisnnial
until 1884. Let us take Texas for example
Our legislature 10 now in session and at the
end of ninety or hundred days we may
reasonably infer that it will adjourn. Except
in call, 4 session, il cannot meet again, SO
we will Lave no legislative session again until
in January 1888, and if no sppropriatioAment
is mao until that session, Texas will have
to do without her increased representation
until the election in 1884, losing one term of
congress. We ask if there is any good rea-
son for this {! Can the state Legislature act
in apportioning, or rather in redistrict-
ing tie state, until congress acts
in fixing the basis of representation These
are questions fer consideration, and on which
we would.like to bave enlightenment. We
have from time to time received documents
from the census bureau giving us the statistics
of this and that state, but never anything
concerning Texss. We do not know that
the prsss Of tho other states are given the re-
turns of every other state than their own,
but certainly that is our experience. We
have every reason TO believe, however, that
the porplasi6nrof Texas is in the n0ighbOr-
hood Of l 100000, nearly double what ii was
ten years ago. We CLEAN
these figures from sources we doom
reliable, and we are certain that these figures
are very nearly correct. 1t is generally un-
derstood and agreed that the basis Of repre-
sentation will be increased from the present
figures TO say, 10000 Of population for each
representative in congress. This basis, CIV
ing Texas in round figures, 100000 popu-
ls,ion, will ent;tle US to nine representatives.
in congress, an increase of three. Now the
question is, while we knew in all reason that
we are entitled TO nine representatives in COZ
gress, can the legislature go to work and lay
of nine congressional districts in the state
If the legislature should do this work before
congress passes upon the official census re-
turns, and fixes the BASH Of representation,
will il hold good? Viii the nine representa-
tiyes be allowed - take their soats., or oAly
six, or any at all Coogrossnen have ways
peculiar 10 themselves Of constituting ques-
tons of this ma ture, and ss each house Of
congress under the constitution Is the judge
of the eligibility Of its own members, and as
party generally rules in issues of this kind,
we do not know how TO express ourselves on
this point. We do not vaat to see our state
suffer in any particular, especially in this
matter, for It is one Of vital importance.
We presume that our legislators are equal 10
this emergency, but 1t lie not smiss TO sub
NIT few remLrks upon It, IL il is only to
call their attention to IL
MR- G. K. LORD, general passenger agent
of the Baltimore s. Ohio railroad, has done