Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-08
CAPITAL CHAT.
The Great Congressional Re-
ApportIonment Fight.
how Votes Have Been Won for the
BurIeigh Bill.
ma'"e is The Storm Center Of the Comic $,
Being waged.

struggle that the
muse mas seen during this Congress.
II mas heen a sharp canvass for votes
from me start and the brilliant work
uoiie ON the floor during Friday. Satur-
u'y ana monday is only an example OF
me splendid organization and rer-
SlSteht preparation for the fight.
feopie who have something to lose
Always contend more vigorously tba,
THOSE VINO nave little at stake and ar
COZ uihSly the states that are in danger
Oh being deprived of one representa
1--WE nave put up Il stronger and moro
battle than the states that
VIII suffer nothing. whether the Hon
kins Dill, the Burleigh bill. or some
compromise passes. The assault on
Gov. Burleigh's bill has been confined
utmost entirely to the claim that.
while it provided for ESQ members. il
was based on 3S4 members. The
friends of the Hopkins bill have ham
mered away on that, insisting that
that arrangement was made as n
preteXt to keep in all the present
representatives but that. as a matter
OF TACT. II took one member away
from New York to give one to Maine.
ana took another member away from
pennsylvania to give it to Nebraska.
This was clever but fruitless ar
gument to keep the New York and
Republicans from break
ing away and has been about the only
argument the Hopkins men have been
able to make. The argument, how
ever. is only half truth, being
bubble over the intricate majority
fractions which pop up as soon as one
begins to figure on the distributions of
What is known as
The Alabama paradox" by which. for
instance, Maine would have four
members on a basis of representation
of 3S4 members and then would have
but three members on a basis of 3SC
members has been threshed over and
over. 1t comes about because with
1856 as divisor of the population of
the different states of the Union there
are more majority fractions, exceed
ing the majority fraction left from
dividing the population OF Maine, than
there are when 3S4 is taken as a d-
visor. 1t seems to be an impossible
thing at first blush but, when one con-
for moment. it becomes
plain although the number of people
required for a congressional district
on q basis of CSC members of the
House is smaller than the number of
people required for a congressional
district when the basis is 3S4 members
If members were allotted only for
certain number of the population and
all fractions were eliminated entirely,
such a thing as the Alabama para
doX" would be impossible. But the
practice for many years has been to
allow for the majority fractions or for
about twenty-five of them. 1t was
called THE Alabama paradox" because
first discovered some years ago in con-
nection with the apportionment fo1 the
state of Alabama. The school boys of
Maine. who are adopts at fractions,
will find something quite as interesting
as Il Chinese puzzle in the study of this
phenomenon.
The way Maine goes in and then
goes out on such figuring was likened
by Representative Littlefield IN his
powerful speech Saturday to the
sinuouS argument of Representative
Honkins against the BurleiSh bill Mr.
HOPKINS tried. as the Maine men anc
others thought, to unduly prejudice
members against the Burleigh bill by
partial and not entirely truthful state
ment of the situation, which led Mr.
, .ittIefield to quote this poetry on the
Illinoisan:
He wabbled in and wabblcd out,
Until the mind was LETT IN uouDt
whether the snake that made the track
was going South or coming bdck.
Maine has not had in many years SO
many proofs of the esteem in when
her men in Congress for the last
quarter of a century are held. as dur
ing the reapportionment hSht. ol
all hands Republicans and Democrats,
who happen not to be interested u
rectly in the reapportionment fight,
have been heard to remark that theS
did not like to see such great state
as Maine which sends big men 10 'he
IJouse lose one of her members. Ihat
sentiment has had deal 10 90 Win
the five Maryland Republicans. Mai y
land has nothing to gain from one vi
the other of the bills but Represehta-
tive j. L. Kerr. of the historic Eastern
Shore. said to the Journal cofrespoiiu-
ent the other day: I'VE cam alloru 70
restrict the supply of great men that
Maine furnishes to the House OF Rep-
resentatives. 1t would be detractlhg
from the general character OF the
House. am going to vote Tor the
Burleigh bill.
Representative Lacey OF Iowa. oiie
of the very substantial Republicans ~
the House. who was often styled py
Speaker Reed as his barometer Oh me
sentiment of the House, SAID: 1t
would seem too bad to deprive Maiiie
of one representative. 1t is one OF the
few states that almost inVarlaois
sends great men here Mr.. Lacey
was placed in the peculiar position VI
being compelled to vote against tne
Burleigh bill for local reasons put HIS
sympathies were the other Wa!.
But members were constantly oeoi'
ing themselves to Gov. BurieiSh III
favor of his measure Wnile ne was
sitting near the central entrance 10 tiie
hall of Representatives, SATURDAY tiie
swinging doors were pushed opeh' ana
the tall, graceful form OF RepreSen'
tive Slayden, of San Antonio, la
came forth. Mr.. Slayden Is wy
genial man and loves good reno" Siiip
as much as he loves the Democratic
party that has sent him to cons 10