Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-24
THE NEXT APPORTIONMEN

| It Is not at all certain that the work of taking and tabulating the census will be so far advanced as to allow the Fifty first congress to arrange the represen- | tation of the respective states of the | Union indeed, it is more probable that the matter will have to go over to the succeeding congress. Nevertheless, it has been hoped by many that to the present congress would fall the apportiontment, for the reason that, as now constituted, it would be especially we'll fitted for the work. It is so closely divided between the palties that neither party would be | likely to be able to make an inferior assignment under it. Of course the re. publicans are more than likely, if they can rally their full strength ill the house, to make such disposition of contested cases that their narrow majority will be somewhat increased; nevertheless, it would not seem possible now that the house will be able to accomplish ob- Jectionable partisan legislation to any extent. It Is for this reason that the present house is regarded as the one best qualified to deal with the matter.
 The present house is rather too large for the prompt and efficient transaction of business, but it does not seem prob. able that its number will be reduced under the coming order of things. It goes without saying that it ought not to be increased materially. To prevent an increase Ill membership it will be neces- l sary that the ratio for representative be placed considerably higher, as the Bos ton Herald contends-higher than it has been in the average of changes that have been made in past apportionments. The present ratio for representative is lo1, ,9l2, which gives house of 325 members. To keep the next house from being larger the ratio for representa- tive will have to be placed in the neigh bcrhood of 100000 that is, assuming that the census will show a population ot 6o,oOO,OOO, which it is generally an- ticipated it will. This number will be varied somewhat to meet state or sectional or party interests it may be, but 1t would seem to be one from which there should be no essential change. Of course under it the eastern and the older states generally will have to lose representa- ton, lnsurlng gain to the west. which may be of advantage to the country gen erally owing to the tariff reform senti- ment that prevails even among the re- publicans of the west. Connecticut will probably lose one of its congress men, which would perhaps add to the power of New Haven and Waterbury.
 Whatever the basis of appoortion however, and whatever the likelihood of our busy manufacturing state losing a vote in the house, it cannot be de- sired that the house should be made any larger than it is at present. It is diff cult enough now to secure the expedi tlous dispatch of public business, and if we were to have an additional harvest of uepaters there is no telling when con- gress would do any large share of the work it is elected to do. If there is any one thing the people of this country will pray for in connection with the next ap- portlonment it is that it will give us a smaller rather than larger house. At any rate they will not be disposed to ac- cept house with more than the present number of members.