The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-01
THE NEW APPORTI0NMENT.
More Votes in the House and the
Electoral College.

One of the most important measures to
be considered at the coming session of
Congress Will be the Apportionment bill,
fixing the number of Representatives for
each State based on the Twelfth Census
Under the last census one Representative
was given to each Ia, ,901 persons or major
fraction of that number, which gave the
House membership of 957. Whether the
Republicans will retain the same basis of
representation OF increase the number is
not known. According TO the talk at
Democratic headquarters the Republicans
viii attempt to cut down the representa-
tion from the South by incorporating in
the App0rtionment bill the Fourteenth
Amendment ana providing that represen-
tation from States that have passed con-
stitutional amendments restricting suf-
frage shall be based On the actual voting
population In other words it is said the
Republicans Will endeavor TO cut down the
electoral vote of the Southern States by
refusing to allow the negro population of
the South to be counted in the apporti0=.-
ment for representation.
There is now pending in the House
bill for that purpose. 1t was introduced
at the last session by Representative
CrumpackeF of Indiana who did not press
it then for fear of the effect ii might have
on the election this month. In the opin-
ion of the Democrats the Republicans in
the House will pass the Apportioament
bill under a special order from the Conn
mittee on Rules.
1t was said this morning that IL the Re
pubiicans should retain the present basis
of representation the membership OF the
House would be increased to 430 members,
but according TO census officials the opIn-
ion is expressed that the basis Of repre-
seatation viii not be less than 100000 noI
more than 210,0GC.
A basis Of zoo COO viii add to the House
twenty-one members and also tWenty-one
electoral votes in various States, while
causing a decrease of four in other States,
making net Increase of seventeen.
On the basis of 200, coo Illinois. New
York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas
would gain TWO, and Arkansas Coloraco
Connecticut Florida, Louisiana, Massa-
chusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, North Ta-
kota, washington, and West Virginia would
gain one. Kansas. Maine, Nebraska, and
Virginia would lose one.
Under the apportionment Of zee 000 the
Republicans would make a gain of fourteen
and a loss oE two; that is, on the assump-
tiOn that the States that went for Mckln-
ley in 1896 are Republican States The
Democrats would gain seven and lose two.
Should 210.000 be adopted as the basis,
liItI1 NOu!V DC a gain o. Alut ana loss OF
eight, making a net increase of one in the
membership Of the House and the vote Of
the Electoral College,
The States that would gain one each o.,
| this basis would be Colorado, Florida, Ill
nois. Minnesota, New Jersey, New York
! North Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia.
The States that would lose one each would
be Indiana Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Ne
braska Ohio, South Carolina. and Virginia.
This would give the Republicans a gain OF
| six and loss OF four, and the Democrats
a gain of three and loss of four, counting
Kentucky as a Democratic State, or a net
Republican gain of three
There viii be considerable opposition 70
increasing the membership of the House as
much as would be the case If the basis OF
| 200 eco should be adopted, and on the 9th
er hand the States that would be affected
| by the increase of the basis to 210 000 viii
| object 10 having their representation cut
| down, 1t IS probable, therefore, that scme
figure between these two extremes viii De
/ chosen. and it is safe to assume that the
| Republicans will select figure that viii
/ benefit them the most and do the Demo-
Gratis the most harm