The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-02
APP0RTIONMENT.
scAEMEs sEFoRE CONGRESS
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Special Dispatch to The Iaseliigance'.
WAsnINoToN, February l.-An effort
will be made tomorrow in the House to
call up the apportionment bill for immed.
late consideration. Fifteen Legislatures
arc now in session, and it is desirous that
the re-districting Of the States by al:ot them
should be done soon to prevent the neces.
sity Of an extra session before next fall.
There are in several States Legislatures
whose terms expire next fall, and the
whole political complexion may change at
the next election. It Is very desfrous,
therefore, that in these States the redis.
trieting may be done by the existing Legis.
latures There are three different bills
that will actually come before the House.
The Select Committee on Census, to which
all the apportionment bills introduced this
session were referred, reported to the
House, through sfr. Prescott, substitute
for these bills fixing the number Of the
next House at three hundred and twenty
members and making an increase in the
number Of members from most of the
principal States.
On the same day that this bill wasre-
ported Mr.. Cox, Of New York, submitted
to the Housean amendment to the reported
bill fixing the number OF members Of the
next House at three hundred and seven.
This amendment changes the representa-
tion as follows:
Illinois, 10 instead Of 81.
Indiana, u instead OF 10.
Iowa, 10 instead OF IL.
Kentucky, 10 instead Of IL.
Massachusetts, II instead OF l2.
Mic higan, 10 instead Of II.
Nebraska, Q instead of 8.
New York, SO instead Of 81.
Ohio, 20 instead Of 81.
Pennsylvania, 27 instead OF 20.
Virginia, instead Of 10.
At the same time Mr.. Colerick, OF Indi-
ana, presented to the House proposed
substitute for the Committees bill; which
gives the next House three hundred and
sixteen members. It amends the COM
mittees proposition, by giving
Florida members instead Of /.
Illinois, 20 instead of 81.
Iowa, 10 insteado Of IL.
Massachusetts,, II instead Of l2.
New York, SO instead of 81.
Ohio, 20 instead Of 81.
Pennsylvania, % instead of 20.
Rhode Island, . instead of l.
California, 0 instead offs.
In addition to these there is bill in the
hands of the Committee on Census, intro.
duced by Mr.. Phelps, Of Connecticut, on
Monday, which contains most unique
proposition, viz: To cutthenumber of Con-
gressmen down to two hundred and forty
seven members, each Congressman to rep
resent about 10000 persons Under
this apportionment New York gets 20 rep
resenatives; Pennsylvania, 2l; Ohio, 10;
Indiana, 10; Illinois, 15; and West Virginia,
8. This bill will never see daylight from
the Committee. But it is barely possible
that Mr.. Phelps may offer it as an amend
ment when the bill is called up tomorrow.
Mr. Cox's amendment is practically his
bill introduced early in the session. There
will be considerable debate over,the bill
as there is much opposition to increasing
the House to an unwieldy figure as it is
claimed will be done by the bill
that is proposed by the committee.
On the other hand it is not thought that
such low figure as that proposed by Mr..
Cox will give equitable representation to
the population Of the United States, as
there are many States which will have q
surplus over their division of population
for each representative, that il not given
Representatives at large in each State it
must leave in the aggregate large amount
Ot. population without representation in
Congress Consequently there is a dispo-
sition to fix the number Of Representatives
at medium between the two figures pro-
posed, and is more than likely Mr.. Col
erick's measure, slightly reduced, will be
adopted.