Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-01-07
MONDAY EVENING. JAN. 7, 1901.
Tar HOUSE of Representatives ha

Southern representation shall be car
ried ont in the new law or not. Inc
agitation has gone far enough to disclose
the fact that 10 spite of all the talk
about harmony and reunion, there Is
still very strong feeling at the NORM
which Is ready to sacrifice the Southern
States and people in order to carry out
the darling idea OF universal negro sui
frave. It ia much to the credit OF Mr..
Hopkins and the majority OF the COM
mittee on the 18th census that they
have rejected all these devilish sugges-
tons and have prepared bill ON con-
stitutional lines without any sectional
or party bias. Whether 1t be wise
to retain the present size OF the
House, namely 357 members, as the
committee propose, or to enlarge the
House so as to prevent Maine and some
other States from losing member,
thereby increasing the body to $50
members in ell, ia question on which
gentlemen may honestly differ; but Mr..
Hopkins in taking 357 "a the aggregate
number to be preserved, is sustain
ed as to his mode of computation by
such high authorities as Daniel Web
ster and General Francis A. Walker,
the superintendent Of the census 10
1881 and an eminent statistician and
political economist. Mr.. Webster's
plan was to take q given number as
the aggregate membership, ascertain
what ratio to the whole popula-
ton this would require, apply it
honestly to the population OF each
State, and If, as was probable, there
should be found majority fractions, TO
take the biggest fraction in turn and
give that State an additional member
until the aggregate of membership al
ready fixed should be reached. Mr..
Littlefield, OF Maine, has sharply criti-
cised Mr.. Hopkins bill, but instead OF
argument he has fallen back on person.
alties which do him no credit. In this
he has furnished an illustration of the
tendency of large body to deteriorate
in its style of debate. Much of the So
called debate of the House nowadays
consists of undignified personal COLO
guy, ad cspitandum retorts, and the
making OF small, personal assaults and
filings which are wholly unworthy OF
Statesmen or gentlemen. Mr.. Little
Geld achieved considerable reputation
by bis speech on the Porto Rico bill.
He then kicked out of party lines, but
after this exhibition of his heels he has
been carefully trying to reinstate him.
self as type Of the average Maine par
tisan. The question OF reapportion-
ment affords him good opportunity OF
parading himself IS defender OF his
State. Maine has practically ceased to
grow. There is nothing in her soil: 1t
is barren. There are no mines. Her
shipbuildipg interests are no longer
fiourishing. Shipbuilding has moved
to the Delaware and to the waters of
the Chesapeake. Her cotton mills are
run at a disadvantage as compared
with Massachusetts and Rhode leland,
while the South with her splendid ed.
vantages is gaining on them all,
and 10 course of time will do the
whole business. So Maine gains moth
ing in population and must lose in
relative power in the House,
no matter what ratio be adopted-of
late years, with one or two exceptions,
her public men have beer narrow, Sec
Eional and vituperstive. Her best mode
of regaining lost prestige Is to adopt a
broader craftsmanship and more ele- |
waited patriotism. We can understand |
how if Maine were to be reduced to |
three members Mr.. Littlefield might |
find it difficult to come back to Con-
gress.
The State of Virginia would also lose
a member il the present number of
namely S57, be preserved.
This would be avoided by increasing
the membership of the House to 1856
members, but the advantage lie only |
apparent, not real. Virginia has now |
10.357ths OF the whole House member
ship. Binder the Hopkins bill it would |
be 9.357ths. Under the so-calledBurleigh |
bill providing for SS6 members Vir-
ginia would have 1886 of the men,
bers of the whole House. Under both
bills she loses in relative power. This
result cannot be avoided. There is no
way by which State which fails to in
crease rs fast as the general rate OF in
crease can maintain It's relative power
In the House 30 far as that power is as
certained by mere numbers. But all
this affords no ground for dependency
as respects Virginia. Unlike the State
of Maine, this State has grand advant-
ages 10 soil, climate, mines, forests and
facilities for commerce. She is ham
pered by large negro population. by
eheir crime, idleness, disorder and the
idea of educating them at the expense
OF the whites. But the natural advant-
ages OF Virginia are SO great that she
must attract population. It would be
no surprise to US II in the next decade
she were to come up to the others. Let
Ia Ia notad thaf Kansas and Nahraska