Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-21
(By Telegraph to virginlan-pilot. )

sentative Hopkins, chairman OF the
committee on census, today filed in the
House the majority report on the re-
apportionment bill reported by his com
mittee. fixing the membership OF the
House for the next decade at S57.
Representative Burleigh, OF Maine,
filed II minority report, signed by six
members in favor of IL House to he
composed of $50 members.
THE SOUTH ATTACKED.
Representative Crumpacker, of In
diana. who signed the Burleigh report
also submitted an independent report
in favor oil reducing the representation
in the Southern States to the extent of
the abridgment OF the suffrage. His
independent report favors Il House to
be composed OF ga members.
PRECEDl1NTS FOR LOSS OF SEATS.
Mr. Hopkins, in the majority report,
cites many instances to show that the
loss of seats by States under reappor-
tionment bills was not uncommon.
massachusetts,, for instance, which,
under the third census had twenty
members, was reduced TO ten under the
sixth. seventh ana eighth, and Virginia,
which had twenty-three in the third,
had but nine under the ninth. The re-
port says the committee followed the
plan adopted under the sixth census
ana followed continuously since. 1t has
the sanction and approval of sixty
years of national existence.
THE PLAN.
The plan is to divide the constitu-
tional population by $50, the proposed
membership. The quotient, 20S,S6S is
the ratio of representatives of popua-
ton. This ratio. applied to the populn-
ton OF each State, will yield in the
aggregate n-4number somewhat less
than 3oI, the number determined upOn
as the membership of the House
DIFFERENCE MADE UP.
The difference is made up by assign
ing to the States having the largest
major fractions additional representa-
lives until II sufficient number have
been assigned TO bring the total UP to
35I. ~ membership of more than 357
the report says would make the House
unwieldy. The minority report is sign
cd by Messrs. Burleigh, Russell. Heat
Woic. Crumpacker, Griffith ana Wilson.
THE HOPKINS BILL.
Referring to the Hopkins apportion-
mcnt the minority report says:
IRE anomalous character OF this
proposed apportionment as well as its
obvious injustice is clearly demon
strated by the fact that II Is neces-
saiily based. in part, upon major frac-
tons, and yet Colorado with Il ajority
fraction of 12l,361; Florida, with a ma
jority fraction of 110.S07, and North
Dakota, with a majority fraction of
105,5S6, do not receive a representative
based upon such majority fraction,
while every other State with a ma
jorty fraction receives n representa-
tive for such majority fraction.
TREAT THE STATES ALIKE
We believe that every state should
be treated alike With reference to It's
majority fraction. as no valid reason
has been or can be assigned for the
discrimination between them. We also
believe that in the new apportonment
no State should lose representative.
We therefore recommend Il House con-
sistng of 3S6 members.
In reaching this number we have
adopted the method used by the com
mittee and have followed the prece-
dent established by the House in 1872.
when the House added to the whole
number of representatives n represen-
tative each for the States of New
Hampshire and Florida by reason of
the fact that they had a majority frac-
tion after the whole number of repre-
scntatiyes had been apportioned.
THE COMPUTATION
We take the computation based upon
1854 representatives upon a Ito of one
representative for every l9l,lS2 OF pop
ulatiOn. Nebraska, with majority
fraction of 81, go, and Virginia, with
majority fraction OF 106. $40. each lose q
representative and set no representa-
tive for the majority in either case.
Arkansas. California. Colorado. Con
necticut, Florida. Louisiana. Massa-
chusetts, Mississippi, Missouri. North
Carolina North Dakota, Washington.
West Virginia and Wisconsin gain one
representative each; Minnesota, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania gain two; Ii
linois. Texas and New York gain
three.
MIR. CRUMPACKER'S REPORT.
The independent report of Mr.. Crum-
packer goes eXhauStivcly into the
abridgement of the right of suffrage in
Fourteenth Amendment to the ConSti-
tuition providing that when the right
TO vote is abridged, except for partici-
patton in rebellion or other crimes the
representation shall be reduced in such
States in proportion 10 such abridge-
ment. Congress in this matter" Mr.
CrumpacKer says. must take cOgniz-
ance of current history and of facts
disclosed by current history and of
facts disclosed by Official records
There Is not member of either house
OF Congress who does not know to a
moral certainty that by direct opera
ton OF law the States of Louisiana.
mississippi. North Carolina and South
Carolina have disfranchised sufficient
numbers of citizens to deprive each of
them OF several Representatives they
would otherwise be entitled TO. TO saw
nothing OF the largely increased sup
preston of votes caused by unfair mar
tiSan administration of the la,ue rrho