The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-21
1T is A CUT AT THE SOUTH
Would Reduce North Carolina Re-
presentation From 8 to 6.
BLOWS AT LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI
Nor Would South Carolina Escape. He Declares
Subterfuges to Evade the Law Mark Be-
ginning Of Political Demoraliza-
ton and Social Decay.
tion and Social Decay.
(By the Associated Press.) }

~A15NNANNh~N
Washington, Dec. 0.-Representative
Hopkins, Chairman of the Committee on
Census, today filed in the House the ma
jority report on the Re-apportionment
Bill reported by his committee fixing the
membership of the House for the next de-
cade at 357. Representative Burleigh, of
Maine, filed a minority report signed by
six members in favor of a House to be
composed of $50 members and Represen-
tative Crumpacker, of Indiana, who
signed the Burleigh report also submitted
an independent report in favor of reduc-
ing the representation in the Southern
States to the extent of the abridgment OF
the suffrage. His independent report fa-
vors House to be composed of 374 men,
bers. Mr.. Hopkins in the majority re-
port cites many instances to show that
the loss of seats by States under reap
portionment bills was not uncommon.
Massachusetts for instance, which under
the third census had twenty members,
was reduced to ten under the sixth,
seventh and eighth and Virginia which
had twenty three in the third had but
nine under the ninth. The report says
the committee followed the plan adopted
under the sixth census and followed con-
tinuousiy since. 1t has the sanction and
approval of sixty years of national eXis-
tence. The plan is to divide the Consti-
tutional proportion by 357, the proposed
membership. The quotient 20S ,868 is the
of t0
This ratio applied to the population of
each State will yield in the aggregate a
number somewhat less than 357, the num-
Der determined upon as the membership
of the House.
The difference is made by assigning to
the States having the largest major frac-
tions additional reports until a suffi-
cient number have been assigned to bring
the total up to 357. membership of
more than 357 the report says would
make the House unwieldy.
The minority report is signed by Messrs
Burleigh, Russell, Heatwhole, Crumpack-
er, Griffith and Wilson.
Referring to the Hopkins apportion-
ment the minority report says:
The anomalous character of this pro-
posed apportionment as well as it's OBJ
vious injustice is clearly demonstrated by
the fact that it is necessarily based, in
part. upon major fractions, and yet Colo
RADIO with a majority fraction of i21 ,367
Florida with a majority fraction of no.,
807 and North Dakota with majority
fraction of 105, $50. do not receive a rep.
resentative based upon such maiorit.
fraction, while every other State with
a majority fraction receives a represen'
tatiye for such majority fraction.
I'VE believe that every State should
be treated alike with reference to its
majority fraction, as no valid reason has
been or can be assigned for the discrim-
ination between them. We also believe
that in the new apportionment no State
should lose q representative. We there
fore recommend a House consisting OF
ESQ members.
I'm reaching this number we have
adopted the method used by the commit
tee and have followed the precedent es-
tablished by the House in 1872 when the
House added to the whole number of rep
resentatives a representative each for
the States of New Hampshire and Florida
by reason of the fact that they each had
almost a majority fraction after the whole
number of representatives had been ap-
portioned
We take the computation based upon
3S4 representatives upon a ratio of one
representative for every 1912 OF popu-
lation. Nebraska, with majority frac-
tion Of 81 629, and Virginia, with a major
ity fraction of 106, SAC, each lose repre-
sentative, and get no report for the ma
jority in either case.
Arkansas. California, Colorado. Con-
necticut. Florida. Louisiana. Nassachu-
setts, Mississippi Missouri North Caro-
lima. North Dakota, Washington, West
Virginia and Wisconsin gain one repre-
sentative each; Minnesota. New Jersey
and Pennsylvania gain two Illinois,
Texas and New York gain three.
The independent report of Mr.. Crum-
packer goes eXhaustively into the abridg-
ment of the right Of suffrage in the South
ern States.
He. quotes the Fourteenth Amendment
TO the Constitution, providing that when
the right to vote is abridged. except for
participation in rebellion or other crime.
the representation shall be reduced in
such States in proportion to such abridg-
ment.
Congress in this matter" Mr. Crum-
packer says, must take cognizance Of
current history and of facts disclosed by
official records. There is not member
OF either House OF Congress who does
not know TO moral certainty that hy
Greet operation Of law the States Of