The morning news., 1889-05-19
The Next Anportionment.


The republicans are anxious that the
enumeration of the population Of tie coun-
try shall be completed in time for the pres
ent congress to enact a raapportionment law,
fixing the number Of the representa- ives in
congress and the number Of presidential
electors. The present congress is republ-
can, and that is why republicans are 50
anxious that it shall enact a rea9portion-
ment law. If there is any, advantage to be
gained in the framing of the law that party
will not be Slow TO seize upon it.
The work Of enumerating the population
will be be ,un in June, 1899. If it is sys-
tematIcally, quickly and intelligently done
congress will know tie number of the
population of the country early in the fol
lowing january When the last census was
taken the superintendent sent statement
Of the number Of the populati N to congress
by Jan. /, when was within 800 of the
number which the revised census showed.
No doub, the p esout superintendent of tie
census will be able to do as quick work as
his predecessors.
Ia making a reapportionment congress
will have very difficult task to perform
Tho House Of Representatives is already too
large. 1t is un%ieldly. In the reappor-
tionment no effort, probably. will be made
to reduce il. The aim will be to prevent its
being increased.
If it is not increased great many of the
states will loee representatives In fact
about all the eastern states will suffer a
loss. Even the great states Of New York
and Pennsylvania Will not have as much
strength in the electoral college and in con
gre as they have at present. Most of the
western states aud o1e or two of the south
ern states viii gain by the reapoortionment
Of course the states that will suYs. a loss
will want to increase the House 50 as to re-.
tain their present number Of members,
though they will doubtless yield to reason
when they recognize the folly Of maxi z
that body 50 big that it cannot be handled
successfully.
On the basis Of the census of 1860 the House
was fixed at 24l members. This was an in
crease Of only one in thirty years During
these thirty years the population increased
nearly Is, 9,0O0,O00 On the basis of the cen
sus of 1870 the House was fixed at 272 mem
bers, and on th1t of 1SS) at 325 members
At present each state is allowed one repre-
| sentative for every Isl, ,9l2 Of its popula-
tion. If this ratio is maintained, and the
population proves to be IS, 1000, as it is
| thought it will, the next House will con-
tam about 430 members That number
could not be seated in the present hall of
the House.
The probabiltyis is that the ratio will be
one representative to every 100000 Of the
population. If that ratio should be ad 1ptsd
the House would not be increased unless
the population is much greater than it is
estimated TO be.
The states that will lose representative,
| by change of ratio will, of course, bitterly
resist change, and the complications that
may arise in consequence Of their resistance
may delay reapportoi1me1t The fact, how
ever, that the republicans have both
branches of congress and the pc iideucy, is
in favor of a prompt apporionneat be
cause they viii seek t. make every point
they can for their party. T1eY certainly
would not, if they could help it, lel,e tbs
reapportioument to ths Fifyy-seconl Goa
gress, which might be do nocratc.