The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-12-26
CONGRESSIONAL
/ REAPPORTIONMENT
Majority Of Census Commit
tee Favors Present Mem.
bership.


Wsshiessos. Dee 20 -Rsprsses...
tive Hopkius. chairman Of The commit
tee on census, today filed 10 tho house
the msjori'y report the respportion
msns bill reported By bic committee,
axiog tho usubership Of tbs house of
sbs next dessds . S57 Represents.
tive Burleish Of Maine alsd uioori.
y report sisusd By 'ix members. 10
favor Of . house to be composed Of 3s6
nsubers. and Representative Crum
psstsr Of Iodisoe. Who sigosd The
Ber leigh rspors also Submitted 90 lode.
pendent report 10 favor Of reducing she
representation 10 the southern States to
The extent OF tho abridguens Of tho
outrage. His ipdspeodeo. report favors
Q bouss 70 ba composed Of 374 mem
bsrs. Mr. Hopkins. 10 tho msjori,y
report. cites instances to show that
the less OF seats BY States uudor
the ssspporsioumsn: bills VAS 20.
soeoomon. Massachusetts,, for iu.
otsues. which under the third cen.
sue had 20 members. was .eduoed
to 10 uodsr the sixth. seventh and
eighth, asd Virgins, which bad 23 iu
tho third. bad bat nine uuder the oiuth.
The report ssys the committee followed
The plso adopted uodsr the sixth census
and followed continuously since II has
tho sanction sod approval Of sixty years
Of ostioosl existence. The plau 10 to
divide the constitutional population BY
S57, tho proposed membership. The
quosisos POS. 1868 10 the ratio Of repro.
ssosssivss to population. This ratio sp.
pied to the population Of each State
sill yield 10 !t.hs aggregate . number
scosvbss less than 357. the number
determined upon ss the msmb bsrship
Of tho house. The difference 10 made
up By sssigoing 10 tho States having
the largest usjori,y fraction sddi,ioosl
representatives until suf6oieos number
have been sssigued TO briog The total
up 20 367. A membership Of more
than S57. the report ssys, would make
the house uuwisldiy.
The minority report 10 sigusd by
messrs Burlsigh. Russell. Hea,w ole.
Osaupaeksr, ,Gsiiio sod Wilson Rofer.
ring to the HopkiOs appor,ion mens ,Hs
minority report ssys:
Tito anomslous character OF this
proposed spportioomeut as veil % lis
ob'ioas injustice is clearly dsuoOssrs,sd
By The fact that il 10 useesssrily based.
10 psss spoo uajorisy tr.s,ioas. sod yet
Colorado vi,h . osjorisy frsosioo Of
ll0,807. snd North Dakota With q
usjori'y fraction Of los. .5S6, do 20, 70.
ssivs representative based upou such
~.jorisy irso,ioo. while every other
State vitb . usjori.y fraction receives
. representative for each u,jority frae
siou.
I'VE believe that every State should
be trea'ed alike vitb reference to its
osjorisy frsosioo. - 20 valid reason has
been or sao os assigned for the
disorimioa,ion between them. We also
believe that 10 the osv sppor,ioa % 60.
90 State should lose representative.
We therefore recommend . house con.
s'stiog Of 386 members.
'Iu reachine this number W have
adopted the method used bv the eom.
~istee aud have followed tho precedent
established BY tho house 10 1872, when
the house added to tbe whole uumber OF
representatives . representative each for
tho States Of New Hampshire aud
Florida BY reason Of toe fact tb.. they
each had almost . majority hse.ios
after the whole number Of representa-.
'ivss had been a,por.iooed.
"Ws mako The eompu.suoo based
upoo SS4 representatives upon = ratio
OF one representative for every 1874.
Ia! Of population. Nsb,ssks. With .
n'jori'y fraction Of 81. 500 aud Vir.
oiaia vith q us;n,;,, e....;.. "a rnD