The Portland daily press., 1882-02-08
The Size Of The House.

The probabilities are that the increase In
the number of members of the House will
be small. The present number, 293, is really
large enough for deliberative body, but the
plea of inadequate representation Of local
interests will SO far prevail as to swell the
membership to over three hundred. The
size of the House was thoroughly discussed
at the time of the formation of the con-
stitution and the reasons which guided the
decision are set forth in numbers 50, So, 81
and 5S of the Federalist, understood to be
written by Hamilton. These reasons are as
sound now as they were then, and renewal
of the old discussion should result in the
same conclusions. In the first of these pa
pers the writer said that ''no political prob
lem is less susceptible of a precise solution
than that which relates to the number most
convenient for representative legislature,
and then goes on to declare:
Sixty or seventy men may be more properly
trusted with given degree OF power than six
or seven men. But it does not follow that 600
or 700 would be proportionably better deposit
tory And if we carry on the supposition to
5000 or 600, the whole reasoning ought TO be
reversed. The truth is that in all cases GER
tain number at least seems to be necessary to
secure the benefits of free consultation and dis
cussion, and to guard against too easy combi-
nation for improper purposes; as, on the other
hand, the number ought at most to be Kept
within certain limit, jim order to avoid the
confusion and intemperance OF multitude. In
all very numerous assemblies, OF whatever
character composed, passion never fails to
wrest the sceptre from reason.
al a. f1Oipf in cT1b-
sequent article, showing that he deemed it
of special Importance. He again expressed
matured opinion, which can hardly be
contradicted now, in spite of a century of
ssprogress" Read:
One observation 1 must be permitted to add
as claiming, in my Judgment, very serious at
tention. 1t is that in all legislative assemblies,
the greater the number composing them may
be, the fewer will be the men who will in fact
direct their proceedings In the trst place the
more numerous any assembly may be, Oh what
ever characters composed, the greater is known
to be under the ascendency of passion over rea-
son. In the next place, the larger the number
the greater will be the proportion OF members OF
limited information and of weak capacities.
Now it is precisely on characters OF this de-
scription that the eloquence and address of the
few are known to act with all their force.
The more multitudinous representative as
sembly may be rendered, the more it will par
take of the infrmities incident to collective
meetings of the people. Ignorance will be the
dupe of cunning, and passion the slave OF soph-
istry and defamation. The people can never
err more than in supposing that by multiplying
their representatives beyond certain limit
they strengthen the barrier against the govern
ment of few Experience will forever ad-
monish them that, on the contrary, after secur-
ing sufficient number for the purposes Of
safety, of local information, and of defusive
sympathy with the whole society, they will
counteract their own views by every addition
to their representatives. The countenance OF
the Government may become more democratic,
but the soul that animates it will be more
oligarchic. The machine will be enlarged,
but the fewer, and often the more secret,
will be the springs by which its motions are
directed.
This reasoning was regarded as conclusive
at the time, and has successfully stood the
test of the years. Nothing has been ad-
vanced in the House this session to impugn
it, and to justify large increase Of mem
bership