Evening star., 1901-01-26

| dence. Dwellings of other parliamentary
officials similarly provided and usually
separated from the palace proper by courts.
French Scheme Being Considered.
II representatives decide that they can
| not dispense entirely with conveniences for
writing. while seated in the body of the
house, there may be adopted a seating
scheme such as is IN use in the French
chamber of deputies. The members of this
lower legislative body of France sit upon
curved benches terraced in front of the
presiding officers chair and forming q vast
amphitheater.
Behind the back of each bench is little
shelf. serving as n desk top upon wnich
delegates occupying the bench next in the
rear can place their reference books or rest
their papers while taking notes.
To crowd in the seats of the extra twen-
ty-nne members added by the reapporton-
ment bill 1t will be necessary to lengthen
the outer row of seats IN the corners on
each side of the chamber, and to squeeze to-
gether even closer than they are now eight
or ten seats in the body of the hail. This
will be about the limit Of condensation.
Meanwhile there may be added delegates
from Alaska, Porto Rico and one or more
territories carved out of the Philippine
Islands At the end of each decade to fol-
low the House will probably continue in
creasfns its size in some proportion to the
increase in population of the country. Ari-
zona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Porto Rico,
Hawaii, and perhaps the Philippines and
Alaska, will, sooner or Later be states Rep
reseniatives entering the House after all
these things shall have come to pass will
be compelled to line up on the sofas in the
rear of the hall and on the steps approach
ing the Speakers table, or stay out of the
House altogether, unless the desks are re-
moved, the cloak rooms are torn out or the
aisles filed up.
Quarters for the First House.
The first House of Representatives sit
ting In pp.p urriSb baI y,irb h
desks. Its 105 members were crowded into
long and narrow space originally built
for the use of Senate officials The origi-
nal House wing had not yet been built
Complaints of lack of space became so nu-
meruus that an appropriation was maize
to build an oval handbook shaped struc-
ture of brick upon the foundations Of the
original House. slow in developing.
What appeared to be a drawbridge was
extended across the rotunda foundations to
connect with the Senate wing. then the
only part of the Capitol standing. The
House moved into this temporary building
-facetiously called the oven"-in Decem-
Der, 1901. The next month it readopted the
old ratio of apportionment-one represen-
tative TO $4,000 persons-establishe ten
years before This act resulted in the in
crease of membership of the House to 141.
In 1901 the "oven" was vacated. while The
work on the first permanent House of Rep
resentatives progressed toward its compie-
the Senate We're reoccupied, with worse
Crowdng and louder complaint than origi-
naily. In 1907 the then new House-now
Statuary Hall-was occupied with some de-
gree of comfort. Six years later the ratio
Of representation was reduced to one men,
Der to 5000 people and forty new repre-
sentatves admitted. Thirty-two more were
added in 1923. twenty-seven more In 1888.
Yet in both of these years the ratio was re-
duced.
In 1912 there was big row over ap-
portionment between the Senate and the
House. The Senate came out on top and
the membership OF the lower body vas
reduced by seventeen members, leaving a
total of 223. Most of the older states suf-
fered. New York and Maryland each lost
six members. while thirteen other states
had their delegations reduced.
The rapidly growing western states, on
the other hand. gained. Illinois. for in
stance, obtained four new Representatives.
This the only apportionment In which
the membership of the House was reduced
anG the innovation was undoubtedly due
II the fact that the Senate at that time
dominated the House and took upon itself
to determine the lower body's size.
How House Has Grown.
In spite Of this reduction and regardless
of the fact that the original hall of repre-
scrtatives had been remodeled after the fir
Ing of the Capitol by the British in 1914,
larger accommodations for Congress were
tionment. In 1852. year after President
Fillmore laid the cornerstone of the en-
larged Capitol. such as we see today and
five years before the present hall of repre-
sentatives was ready for occupancy, the
House was increased to 233 members-seven
less than had composed its membership be-
fore the reduction of 1913. Ten more were
added in 1869. In 1873 no less than fifty
new members We're admitted. After the
tenth. eleventh and twelfth censuses the
increases have been, respectively, thirty
two, thirty-One and twenty-nine members
Nevertheless. each apportonment bill pass
ed in the last hundred years has cut
down the ratio of representation.
Would BE 2.15O Members.
Previous to the first census. the appor-
ticnment under the Constitution was fixed
at one representative to every 10000 of pop
ulation. Were that ratio still applied. there
would now be 2,1J0 members Of the House.
Had the present ratio been applied to the
population shown by the first census. the
House in 1903 would have been composed
of but twenty-seven members
The addition of ~ members to the House,
as provided in the new law, will cost Uncle
Sam $1lI,0OO more year In representa-
tives' salaries. S.t25 year for additional
stationery allowances and thousands of
dollars a year FOR pay of extra clerks and
employees. not to mention the packing boxes,
garden seeds. bulbs, cuttings, botanical
plants, bound books, documents and charts
allowed in generous quantity to each
member. In addition, each new represen-
tative will receive ~ cents a mile for travel
ing expenses to and from sessions, and con-
siderinG that they come from as far as
Texas and California, this is no meager
item.
while the total electoral vote to be cast in