Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1900-11-10
CENSUS DEDUCTIONS.

Ihe Census Onc6 mas announced
1.-THE total population of the United
States to be rs, 800, 600 in round num-
bers, an increase in about 20 per cent
since 1890. A previous bulletin had
placed the increase in the 159 cities
having over 5000 each at about 3D.
percent, and a breif calculation shows
that the increase in the balance OF
the country was only about Is per
Icent. Thus, it seems that the drift
Ito the cities has not been arrested to
anything like the extent that some
people believed. Aside from this,
/, the chief interest attaching to the de-
tailed statement is found in the new
superintendent for the House of Re
representatives. that must be made
under it. OF course, until Congress
meets and takes up this subject, it is
impossible to say exactly what
changes the new figures will make.
Congress in its wisdom may keep the
total membership of the House as it
is, or may increase it indefinitely, or
may even reduce it, and no man can
foretell what it will do. The chances
are, however, that it will increase it
slightly, perhaps by about 30 mem
bers. Such an increase would avoid
the necessity of decreasing the repre-
sentation Of any state. On the other
hand, the chamber Of the House is
already crowded and it is hard to see
where thirty members can find seats
unless the present system Of indiyid-
ual desks is done away withr-a most
unlikely thing. The method of max
ing the superintendent is somewhat
peculiar, Congress first deciding how
many members it will have, dividing
this number into the total population
Of the states, the quotient being the
"basis of representation" This, when
divided into the population of the
various states gives the number. to
which each is entitled. If the sum
of these does not foot up the total
membership allowed, extra members
are given to the states having the
largest fractions remaining. If the
thirty additional" system is adopted,
the following gains will be made:
New York 3; Pennsylvania 2; Illinois
3; Missouri 1; Texas 8; Massachusetts
1; Wisconsin /; North Carolina l.;
New Jersey 2; Minnesota 2; Mississ-
1ppi /; California /; Louisiana i;
Arkansas L; West Virginia /; Con-
necticut /; Colorado |; Florida Il;
Washington 1; North Dakota | By
this redistribution the New England
states would gain two, the east Z, the
southern states ten, the middle west
states 8, and the far west 8. States
ordinarily classified as republican
would gain fourteen, states classified
as democratic would gain ten. The
close and doubtful states would gain
six. The real surprises in these
figures are the large gains in the
south, which are larger than in any
other section. Under this apportion-
ment, the solid south would have 100.
electoral votes, an even greater pro-
portion of the total than at present
that is provided Congress continues
to ignore the provision Of the consti-
tuition that the representation of
states DISTINGUISHING their negroes
shall be correspondingly reduced.
Louisiana, Mississippi and North
Carolina, all Of which would secure
an increase, all disfranchised negro
voters by transparent articles. AI
reduction in the representation Of
these States, if decided upon, will
affect the whole scheme of apportion-
ment. The South has now about
thirty-nine Representatives on the
basis Of it's colored population. The
new census probably entities this