Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-08

land, Belgium and Holland. Uhe Neither
iands). At this time every 5000 inhabi-
tants Of Holland have representative IN
tne national legislature: about every -
wv people OF Belgium also have Il repre-
sentative In Parliament, while in Switz-
erland there Is "A representative for ever;
N.o0 OF the population. When we reflect
in each of these three free states. and
wnen we also remember that about ev-
cry $1,000 Englishmen have an organ and
vote IN Parliament, while only every
iIo.ooo Americans have representative
IN Congress. ought 1t to surprise anyone
that we should frequently hear the re-
mark IN conversation. or read it in the
newspapers, that government in Europe
Is becoming more democratic every day.
while IN America 1t Is tending more to
the aristocratic or one-man power?
Power Is ever seeking it's own increase
and political power especially has a con-
slant tendency TO steal from the many
to the few. to guard against which our
English ancestors, who have been slowly
but steadily improving in their govern
ment for the last five hundred years have
during all that time been in favor OF a
large House of Commons. Since the days
of the StuartS, England and Wales alone
have had about 500 members In the Com
mons. At the union with Scotland, near
ly 200 years ago, 40 other representatives
were added for that country, and at the
union with Ireland at the beginning of the
present century, still another 100 were
added for her quota: since which time
the Commons has never had less than $50
members although several acts refOrmin
Parliament as to suffrage and constitu
encies have been passed. Thus while
representation in the Commons of Great
Britain has never been less than one
member for every 5000 inha bitants.
which is the ratio today. the people OF
the United States have not had as much
representation as Lat in their National
Legislature since 40 years ago. Each
member on this floor now represents over
three times as many inhabitants as "A
member of the House of Commons.
Hence England may be said from the
very start to have established Il maxi
mum representation of her people to pro
tect them against the encroachments OF
wealth. the designs of demagogues or the
assaults of ambition, while the United
States on the other hand, may be said to
have commenced with minimum OF
representation and to have adhered to il,
at least since 1872.
There can be little doubt but what
while the English House of Commons
has been a sturdy and incorruptible
conservator of the peoples interests, its
Legislative efficiency would be consid-
erably increased by the rules which
obtain in this body and which insure
the orderly progress of business how
ever large it's membership may be.
We are legislating primarily for our
own day and generation and there is
no reason to suppose that those who
are to come after us will not be fully
able to deal with any conditions that
may confront them. No generation
has ever had a mortgage upon the
universal intelligence either within or
without the circle of its own activities
If we shall increase the membership
of the House as provided in the bill
presented here by six of the thirteen
members of the Census Committee. ii
will still require nearly 100 years of
similar increase at each succeeding
apportionment before this branch of
Congress will equal in size the pres
ent membership of the English House
of Commons. 1t Will require nearly
seventy years of similar decennial
progress before we shall reach the
present membership of the French
Chamber of Deputies. Nor should We
Cor one moment. in this ton.
lose sight of the important fact that
the population represented by these
bodies in each instance is only about
one-half as large as that represented
by this House. l submit here table
showing the general basis of appor-
tionment from the foundation of our
government down to the present time.
including the proposals of the ma
jority and minority bills for the APP
portionment under the twelfth census: