Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-18

The bill introduced by S. s. Cox for appor-
tionmeut of representatives in Congress III.
r. No 695S) gives Alabama s, Arkansas 3,
California 3, Colorado l, Connecticut 4, Della
ware l, Florida l, Georgia 8, Illinois 10, In
diana Il, Iowa 10, Kansas 6. Kentucky 10,
Louisiana 6, Maine 4, Maryland 6, Massa-
chusetts IL, Michigan 10, Minnesota 5, Mis-
siss,ppi 7, Missouri IS, Nebraska 3, Nevada
l, New Hampshire 2, New Jersey Z, New
York 81, North Carolina S. Ohio 10, Oregon
l. Pennsylvania 26, Rhode Island q South
Carolina 6, Tennessee 9. Texas 10, Vermont
2, Virginia 8, West Virginia T. Wisconsin s.
Total, 301.
The proposed Act requires That in each
State entitled under this apportionment the
number to which such State may be entitled
in the Forty eighth and each subsequent Con
gress shall be elected by districts composed
Of contiguous territory and containing as
nearly as practicable an equal number of H.
habitants, and equal in number to the repre-.
sentatives to which such State may be enti-
tied in Congress, no one State electing more
than one representative"
In introducing the bill and referring to the
report and tables of the Superintendent of
the Census, MIR. Cox said:
Zone of the tables tB) shows in its first col
umn the present number under the appor-
tionment of 1870 as distributed among the
several States and in the second column the
final number for each State on the census of
1880, on the basis of $685. and in the other
columns that number with all the changes
from 293 up to and including 307. From
these columns one may see the loss or gain
over the number of the present House under
the apportionment of 1870 and the census of
1880, running from 293 to 307. 1t appears
that on the census of 1880, by the increase
from 293 to 294, Massachusetts gains by
the increase to 295, Louisiana gains l ; by
the increase to 296, Pennsylvania gains l :;
by the increase to 297, Maryland gains ;
by the increase to 29S, New York gains ;
by the increase to 299, Alabama gains ;
aud when the total number of Representa-
tives is increased to 800, one of the most
striking features of the table appears. 1t is a
curious ecentricity of Mathematics para
dox, the exploitation of which upon pure
arithmetical logic may be found in one of the
communications which accompanies the
tables. The paradox is that Alabama loses
at 500 the Representative she gained
at 299 and Texas and Illinois
gain l each. At sol, Alabama regains
the Representative SO lost; by the increase to
S02, Florida gains l /; by the increase to 303
Ohio gains 4; by the increase to 304. North
Carolina gains l by the increase to 800, Ten
nessee gains / by the increase to 500, Penn
SN WANNA dtLS ny 6tiS tLCESsSS 70 Oui, NEW
York gains another, mal1ing two gains over
293 under the census of 1880, but still New
York even then loses from her present
number assigned her under the apportion,
ment of 1870. Compared with the present
number, under the census of 1870, each mem
Der can make his own calculation as to gains
and losses. There are losses. There always
viii be during a lapse of ten years. The
largest House we ever had before 1868 was
under the census of 1880 Massachusetts
then had 20 members now she has II. New
York then had 40 members now she will
not hold her present number, 80, unless the
number of members is SOY. Virginia at one
time had % now she has 8. New Hamp.
shire once had 6 !; now she has s. The losses
are comparative, and every apportioameut
mas witnessed such reductions. Vermont and
New Hampshire may gain in population, but
not relatively. They must lose in this ap.
portionment unless we make the number Of
members Unfortunately large. But all this is
to be judged from scrutiny of the tables.
How high we must run the number of inem-
bers so that no State viii lose, members can
compute for themselves"
The ratios, fraction resulting and number
of Representatives on even division and the
final number, with Congress at 293 to 325
are shown in table A. At 293 California,
with population Of S64 CSC, has five at the
ratio of l 16S, 497, and preserves that number
throughout. until her ratios and resulting
fractions being as follows: