The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-10

The House of Representatives.


franchisement. and Republican gerry
mander. in connection with the necessary
Congressional reapportionment under The
Twelfth Census the Burleigh Reappor-
tionment BILL passed in the House OF Rep
resentatives on Tuesday, in some respects
comes as an agreeable surprise. 1t is not
the party measure reported by Mr.. Hop
kins. Chairman of the House Census Com
mittee, and representing the wishes of
the Republican majority in that body, but
the bill of the committee minority. 1t is,
therefore. in effect an opposition measure
passed over the heads OF the Administra-
tion leaders by Democratic supported by
conservative Republican votes. This is
encouraging evidence that there are mem
bers of the dominant party in Congress
who are above the spirit of spite and
rancor which their extremist and South
hating colleagues have endeavored to in
fuse into the question of reapportion-
ment.
Under the provisions of the Burleigh
bill, if accepted blythe Senate, as it will
be, after March 3. 1903. the House of Rep
resentatives Will be composed of three
hundred and eighty-six members. The re-
superintendent does not cut down the rep
resentation of any State The only
changes consist of gains of one member
each by Arkansas California. Colorado,
Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Massa-
chusetts. Mississippi. Missouri, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Washington. West
Virginia. and Wisconsin; of two members
each by Minnesota, New Jersey, and Penn
sylvania: and of three members each by
Illinois. New York. and Texas 1t will be
noticed that these gains are fairly dis
tributed over the various sections of the
country. without unjust discrimination
against any. Indeed, in point of Gven-
handed justice and equity. the Burleigh
bill leaves nothing to be desired. 1t is
so much better than anything we could
have expected at the beginning of the
session that it is entitled to be regarded
as admirable. if, as now appears. the re-
grettable expansion of an already IN
wieldy and tumultuous body. for which it
provides. could not be avoided in view Of
the present temper of the House
That expansion is an unmixed evil 1t
will make what is now a bad matter dis
tinctly and Immediately worse Instead
of increasing the membership, it should
long ago have been definitely and finally
limited for all time TO a maximum OF
two hundred and fifty. It is no part Of
cur scheme Of government to see that
each State shall crowd as many of its
citizens as possible into positions which
pay five thousand dollars a year. but
rather to see that they have proportionate
representation according to population.
Certainly the, spirit of the institution of
representative. deliberate, popular
House Of Representatives is violated when
the membership is made so large that the
body is transformed into an overgrown
mob OF people. with more the character
Of a mass convention than of a parlia-
mentaTy assemblage, and so overcrowded
and cumbrous as TO destroy the chance
for individual initiative.
Discussing this very question with
prophetic wisdom. Alexander Hamilton,
in one OF his papers in The Federalist,' -
said that in all legislative assemblies the
greater the number composing them may
be. The fewer will be the men who will
in fact direct their proceedings" Again
he said
The people can never err more than in sup
posing thar by multiplying their Representa-
tivss beyond certain limit they strengthen
the barrier against the government Of . few.
Experience viii forever admonish them that on
the contrary. after securing sufficient number
FOR the purposes Of safety Of local information.
and Of diffusiye sympathy with the whole so
ciety. they VIII counteract their views by
every addition to their Representatives. The
oountensnce OF the Government may become more
democratic, but the soul that aniInates II viii
be more oligarclic. The machine will be
larged but the fewer and often the more secret
VIII be the springs BY which its motions are
directed.
On the other hand eX-Speaker Reed, in
a recent magazine article, holds that the
popular branch of the legislative depart
ment OF the Government must be large
and Increase with the growth Of the ma
ton He. evidently. and naturally. con-
siders it a good thing that the counte-
nance OF the Government" shall appear
more democratic, but the soul that ami
mates il, more oligarchic." In his own
rule over the House. Mr.. Reed IuridIy il
Illustrated the evil against which Alexan-
der Hamilton warned the country. The
Houses unwieldiness afforded Speaker
Reed and small clique Of experienced
party leaders. who acted with him. the
opportunity actually and completely to
suppress its liberties. and to make it, in
stead Of representative assembly, a body
incapable of independent, constitutional
action, but one with no vital function
whatever. save that OF registering the viii
Of the Speaker and his Committee on
Rules, who together finally became tho
sole legislative power of the House
1t would be well for statesmen of the
present day to look back and note the
rapid decline in Importance of the House
of Representatives during the past thir-
ty-five years. as compared with the SEN
ate, which has sustained no such loss,
and, on the contrary, has gained infiu-
ence and power because OF the decadence
of tka popular branch Of Congress That
decadence began, as Hamilton said 1t
would, when the membership became so
large that Individual members no longer
we're able TO know their colleagues. or
to make themselves personal factors in
the proceedings. Then originated the Sc
cret and insidious system OF House gov
eminent by committees. themselves under
the rigid control OF central committee
consisting OF the Speaker and a few