The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-08
A SPEECH BY Mr.. KITCHIN
He Supports the Hopkins Bill and Re
plies to Linney.
HEPBURN DECLARES HOUSE TOO BULKY
He Says It is Now Dominated by The Senate
and Has Lost Its Power as Body
Representing the
People.
lBy the Associated Press.l


Washington, Jan. THE animated
debate in the House on the re-appor-
tionment of representation from the
various States is nearing it's close, it
being unanimously agreed today that
the final vote would be taken before
the session closes tomorrow. The gen
eral debate will close at o'clock
Mr.. Hopkins. (Ills.), expresses conf
dence that the bill bearing his name
will be passed tomorrow, although
there may lie a Slight change giving
an additional member to Florida, Colo
rado and North Dakota, bringing the
total membership up to $50.
Mr.. Kitchip. IN. c., the first speak
er today, supported the Hopkins Bill
but said he would vote against the
amendment requiring the Congression-
al districts in the several States to be
contiguous and compact He said he
did not believe Congress had the power
to designate the manner in which the
States should make up Congressional
districts. Mr.. Kitchin replied at some
length to the speech made by Mr.. Lin
ney IN. c., last Saturday attacking
the Southern Democrats for disfran-
chsing the negro.
Mr.. Crumpacker Qnd), who presented
the minority report of the Census Com
mittee in favor of reducing the repre-
sentation in Southern States proper
tionate to the abridgement of the fran
chise, said that as between the Hop
kins and Burleigh bills, he favored the
latter. He argued that during the re-
cent years he influence of the House
in legislation had steadily diminished
attributable to the members of the
lower House allowing themselves to be
dominated by the Senate, and the Chief
Executive.
He pointed out the voting require
ments in Louisiana, Missouri, North
Carolina and South Carolina and ad-
duced figures to show you that in
Louisiana forty-three per cent of her
male citizens over q years OF age,
We're disfranchised, in Mississippi for
ty-two per cent; in North Carolina
thirty-four per cent and in South Caro-
lima fOrtythree per cent. Mr.. Crum-
packer was frequently interrupted by
members of the delegations from Louis
lana, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Mississippi. They besieged him
with questions and denied many of his
Z statements.
Mr.. Wilson (S. CO. spoke in favor Of
the Burleigh Bill and incidentally dis
cussed the negro question in the South.
He detailed the lavish expenditure and
misappropriation during the period of
negro population, he said, was being
educated and cared for in the South
and it was only against the criminal
class those guilty Of an atrocious crime
against women that lynching was di-
rected.
Mr.. Hepburn Gowa) declared that
the House was no longer a deliberative
body, having become so bulky as to
lose it's deliberative functions
The whole scheme and place of the
House under the Constitution, Mr.. Hep
burn declared, was subverted, destroy
ed and annihiiated by the rules Of the
House. Instead of representing his
constituents every member surrender
ed his political power into the hands
of others and was unable to be heard
on any measure without the consent of
officials and committees to whom the
power was surrendered.
The complete surrender of individual
power was que to the members them
selves and not to the speakers. Mem
bers of the Senate were interested in
seeing the House membership further
increased for that carried with it the
increase of influence and power of each
individual Senator and the further
domination of the House by the Senate.
Mr.. Grow Pa.) favored the Hopkins
Bill and compared the workings of the
House in the early DAYS when the mem
hership was far more limited, with the
disorderly and unrepresentative char
acter of the body today
Mr.. Pearson On. c. supported the
Burleigh Bill and argued against the
Crumpacker Bill, as the latter would
be so carried out in the South as to
wipe out the few epublican members
now coming from that section. He as
serted that the time was fast coming
when the slisfranchisement practiced
in the South would be wiped out
At $40 the House adjourned.