The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-17
THE SOUTH In CONGRESS
Republicans Anxioas TO Reduce Its
Representation.
Leaders Generally Adverse to the
CrumpacIer Bill or "A Similar
Measure, But Seeking 30 Accom-
plish Their Purpose by Indirec-
tiOn-The Census Director to Aid.

CT Congress. have abandoned the scheme OF
cutting down the Representatives OF those
States in which the negroes have
been disfranehised, nevertheless 1t seems
certain that the same object viii be at
tanned. II possible. by another process or
course the whole purpose Of the original
plan was to increase the strength Of the
Republican States in the Electoral College
and decrease that Of the Democratic States
II this can be done n another Nay it is
eontended by the Raeghl9.sez11 ..saas7a tnat
it viii be better polft3es
The eonsuIamation OF the scheme How
favored by the Republican leaders depends
almost wholly upon the exDertness Of Cen
sus Director Merriam's statistical maniPu-
lators. Upon Trustworthy authority it can
be stated that for weeks Director Merriam
has been earnestly devoting himself 10 the
solution of the annoying problem Of how TO
so rearrange the basis Of representation as
either TO cut down the South materially
and leave the safe Republican states their
present representation or to increase the
electoral strength OF the North without
correspondingly increasing that OF the
South With this object in view he has
been studying dozen or more combina-
tIons. prepared fer him by his experts. and
some Of these he has submitted TO MT. Nc
kinIey since the election. It IS said that
before Congress assemblies some eomoina-
tion involving the object sought viii be
approved by the President, and that this
viii be the basis for Congressional action IN
its reappertionnent work
Il is stated that the President, on the
recommendation CT Director Merriam. vir-
tuaIIy has rejected the DalzeH PROPOSE
tion for Increasing the basis OF rep7esen-
tstion from I74, 600 10 EOS, ,eGe- The Dal-
zeII figure would leave the membership
of the House at its present strength-S5t--
but il would also cut down the repTesen-
tafion OF several States that are reason
ably safe for the Republicans, notabty
Kansas. Nebraska and Minnesota with
out making a compensating cut IN the
Democratic States. II is thought possible.
however, 70 agree upon some other basis,
which while not increasing the E1ezapeE-
ship of the House or endangeTiug the Be-
publicans anywhere along the Hne. VIII
give the Barty in power the advantage SO
eagerly sought by oenfeTTing upon two OF
three Northern States the benefit Of ma
ior factions IN representation. For exam
pie. with a properly expert manipulation
sf the recount Of the census in several
States this could be accomplished
If, for purposes of illustration. the ba-
SIS OF representation decided upon should
be 2e7, ,II3. it might be that Director Mer-
Rams experts could give the beneht OF
major fractions to States like Aassaehu-
setts, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, and
Michigan to the exclusion OF States Ike
i A Ia n
North Carolina. The difficulty OF the
problem now. IL is said. is to form the
combination that will lead with certain
ty to the desired result Still. the Cen
sus Office is understood to be working
their experts overtime in the effort to
solve this interesting problem before the
President gets Congress on his hands Il
will net do, OF course, to have the subject
discussed too much. as that would give
The game way, and all the good which the
Presiden. hopes 10 accomplish by MS
great show of ma gnanimity IN refusing 70
/ permit his party 70 punish the South Tor
/ its Democracy would be nulliEed-
On the, subject Of the legal power OF the
/ Republicans In the matter CT cutting down
{ the rsprssentatinn CT the South because OF
7 the Acknowledgement Of the blacks 50 ex-
ue-ieDced a legislator and stout q Demo-
! crat as Representative J. H -Bankhead OF
! Alabama has 70 doubt Colonel Ba1khead,
who was il Washington last night to Join
/ the members Of the Rivers and HaFoors
: Committee for a trip OF inspection says the
/ Fourteenth Amendment empowers the Re
t publicans to make reductions in those
States Of the South in which the franchise
has been taken from the blacks He feels
] confident. however that the Republicans
will not undertake the job. He is oonvine-
ed that. primarily, the Republicans do not
want to interfere with present political con-
ditiops at the South so far as the status
( Of he negroes is concerned: and more than
that he believes that they recognize the
practical impossibility Of ratting through
I Congress q restrictive measure ColoHel
/ Raukhead points out also. that the laws
! of Mississippi and South Carolina which
F! dfsfranchise the blacks stood the seYerest
! tests Of the courts. and so agitation OF The
/ subject in Congress might in the end re-
suit in something very different from what
/ the Republicans are looking for.
Everything considered, therefore, 1t is
| likely taat the Crumpacker bill. row on
! the Calendar Of the House, viii not be Sc
riousIv considered at the forthcoming ses-
eion Of Congress. and as that is the OnlJ
/ measure enbodying the idea OF interfering
With the present representation OF the south
! il is probable that the subject viii not en-
! gage the attention of the lawmakers this
| winter
4 man Of considerable weight in the
| councils of the Republican party. and
whose opinions probably reflect, to GER
/ tain extent. the opinions of men even
| higher in the party's councils. in speak
ing with a reporter for The Tines. said:
Il think the policy of the Republican
Marty Will be eonciIiatory toward the
/ south The enfranchisement of the negro
was a mistake, and we are going to lei
| the South go ahead and disfranebise then
as fast as it wants to. Republican sue
| cess in the South depends on the elimina-
tion of the negro from politics. I am sure
| that North Carolina Louisiana and Flor
ida. and Kentucky, and probably Other
southern States would be Republican
| stronghoIds but for The negre question
Thousands of Democrats in the South con
! slider themselves Democrats through ne.
cessity. and not through election Thel
| can vote the Republican ticket on loca
matters. and they wont vote it on na
fionaI issues because they look upon tint
Republican party as the sponsor Of tht
NEGRO. Some of the Southern States were
normally WhIg States.
! ITO illustrate what I mean let US takt
the state of Maryland for example. Il
those counties where there is a large ne
gro vote. practically every white man /.
Naval Cadets vs.. West Point Cadets