The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-21

Claims That Majority Report
Would work Injustice 60 several
state---Crumpa Favors 27t
with Reduction at Representation
OF several southern states.
Washington Dec. % -Represcntative
Hopkins. chairman OF the Committee on
Census to-day nled in the House tho mn-
iorty report on the reanportioument hal
reported by hla committee. fixing tns
membership Of the House Tor tho neN,
decade so So
Representative Burieigh OF Maine, filed
a minority report signed hy six member
tn favor OF a House 90 be- composed OF 1856
members. and Representative Crumpack-
or OF Indiana. who signed the Burcirl
report also submitted an independent re-
port in favor OF reducing the representa-
ton IN the Southern states. 10 tho extent
Of the abridgcmcnt OF the suffrage. Hi
Independent report favors a House 20 b.
composed of l7i members
Mr. Hopkins. in tho majority report.
cites many instances 10 show that the
loss OF seats by states under reapporiion-
meme bills wa not un, ommou Massachu-
setts. for instance. which under the third
census had twenty members. was reduced
10 Ten under the sixth. seventh aud eighth.
and Virginia. which had TWEEN ly-thrco IN
the third had bur ninc under the ninth.
The report says tho committee followed
the plan adopted under the sixth census
and followed continuously since. Il has
OF national existence The plan S.
TO divide the constitutional pop
ulation by 257 the proposed
membership. The quouen, els ,ss
Is the ratio % representative to nopul1-
tion. This ratio applied 70 the population
OF each state viii yield In thu aggregate
number somewhat less than 355 tho
number determined upon as the member
ship OF the House. The difference IS made
up hy assigning TO fhe state having tho
largest major fractions additional repre-
sentatlves until a sufficient number have
been assigned TO bring the total up to S57.
A membership Of more than ss7. the re-
I port says. would make the House un-
w.eIdy.
The minority report IS signed by Aiessrs
Burieigh. Russell Heatwole. Crumpackcr
Gufnth and Wilson.
Referring TO tho Hopkins spportionment
the minority report says:
The anomalous charactcr Of this pro
posed apportionment as well as lts OBJ
vious injustice s clearly demonstrated bl
the fact that Il IS necessarily based. in
part. upon majority fractions. ana yet
Colorado with a majority fraction Of i2l-
67. Florida with a majority fraction of
il0.s7 and North Dakota with a majority
fraction Of i05. $50. do not receive repre-
sentative based upon such majority frac-
ton. while every other state with ma
jority fraction receives a representative
for such majority fraction.
we believe that every state should boz
treated alike with reference 70 its ma
jo7ity fraction. as no invalid reason has
bsen or oan bc assigned for the discrimi-
ration between them. We also believe that
IN the new apportlonment no state should
lose a representative. We therefore re-
commend a House consisting Of SO mefn-
hega.
In reaching this number we have
adopted the method used hy the commit
tee. and have followed the precedent es'
tablished hy the House IN ls52. when the
House added 70 the whole number Of rep
resentatives. a representative each for
the states Of New Hampshire aud Flor
ida. by reason Of the fact that they each
had almost a majority fraction after the
whole number OF representatives had been
apportioued
1--WE take the computation based upon
3si representative upon a ratio Of one
representative for every lql.is2 of popu-
latiou. Nebraska. with a majority frac-
ton OF N.629 and Virginia with a major
ity fraction OF i0s.Jis each lose q repre-
sentative and get no representative for
the majority Ia either case"
Arkansas, California. Colorado. C0nncc
tlcut. Florida Louisiana. Massachusetts.
Mississippi. Missouri. North Carolina.
North Dakota. Washington. West VIZ
glna and Wisconsin gain one representa-
tive each. Mluncsota. New Jersey and
Pennsylvania gain two. Illinois. New York
and Texas gain three.
The independent report OF Mr.. C1im-
packer goes cXhaustiveiv into the
abrldgcment or the right of suffrage IN
the Southern states. He quotes Tho four
teonth amendment 20 the constitution
providing that when the right 10 vote is
abridged. except FOR participation In ~
bcllion or other crime. the representation
shall be reduced IN such states la proper
ton 20 such ahridgemcnt
Congress in this matter" Mr. Crum.
packer says. must take cognizancc OF
current history and OF facts disclosed ay
/ official records. There rs not a member
/ Of either House Of Congress who does not
know 10 a moral certainty that by direct
operation % Law the states Of Louisiana.
I Mississippi. North Caroina and South
/ Carolina have disfranchisod sufficient
I number OF citizens 20 deprive each or
/ them Of several representatives they
would otherwise b. cndtied TO- 20 say
/ nothing Of the largely Increased suppress
SION Of votes caused BY unfair PARTISAN
administration of the laws. The question
Z l.. viii Congress make an apportioumcnt
I cf representatives according % the plain
requirements of the constitution or VIII
I Il ignore those requirements and act ac-
cording 20 its arbitrary Win
AIr. Crumuacker then takes up the con-
stitution OF Louisiana and adduccs figures
TO show that IN that state f3.7i per cent.
Of the citixens are dlsfrauchised. The rep
resentation should therefore. be argues,
he reduced from seven 90 four. In North
Carolina. for the same reason, he figures
that the representation should be reduced
from nine 70 six. IN Mississippi from seven
10 four, and In South Carolina from slN
70 four. The subterfuge resorted 70 In
he South 20 evade the laws. he says
marks the bezinning OF political demorali-
zation and social decay. He then proceeds
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