The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-08
WILL VOTE TODAY
REAPPORTIoNMENT DISCUSSION TO
COME TO AN END.
DEBATE AN ANIMATED ONE.
MIR. HOPKINS RELIEVES HIS BILL.
WILL PASS.

II Provides for 357 Representatives,
but One Each May BE Added for
Florida, Colorado and North Da-
kOta-GeOrgia VIII Not Gain Any.
COnEressmen Admit That InHu-
ence of House Has Diminished in
Recent Years and Attribute II to
UnwieIdIy Membership.
Washington, Jan. THE animated de-
bate in the House on the reapportionment
of representation from the various states
is nearing its close, il being unanimously
agreed to-day that the final vote would be
taken before the session closes tomorrow.
The general debate viii close al 3 o'clock.
Mr. Hopkins of Illinois expresses conf
dence that the bin bearing his name will
be passed tomorrow, although there may
be a slight change giving an additional
member to Florida, Colorado and North
Dakota bringing the total membership up
to 800.
Mr.. Kitchen of North Carolina, the
first speaker to-day supported the Hop
klns bill, but said he would vote against
the amendment requiring the congress-
ional 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.. Kitchen replied at some length to
the speech made by Mr. Linney of North
Carolina last Saturday attacking the
Southern Democrats for disfranchisng the
negro.
Mr.. Crumpacker of Indiana, who pre-
sented the minority report of the Census
Committee in favor of reducing the rep
resentation in Southern states. propor-
tionate to the abridgment of the fran
chise, said that as between the Hopkins
and Bureigh bills he favored the latter
He argued that during recent years the
influence of the House in legislation had
steadily diminished attributable to the
members of the lower house allowing
themselves to be dominated by the Sem
| ate and the chief executive
He pointed out the voting requirements
In Louisiana, Mississippi North Carolina
and South Carolina and adduced figures
to show that in Louisiana 43 per cent. of
her male citizens over 21 years Of age
were disfranchised. In Mississippi A per
cent, in North Carolina "a per cent, and
in South Carolina i3 per cent Mr. Crum-
packer was frequently Interrupted by
members of the delegations from Louis
ianna, North Carolina, South Carolina
| and Mississippi. They besieged him with
questions and denied many of his state
ments.
Mr.. Wilson of South Carolina. spoke in
favor Of the Burleigh bill and incidental
| ly discussed the negro question in the
South. He detailed the lavish expendi-
lures and Interpretations during the
! period of negro rule in South Carolina.
| The worthy and industrious negro popu-
| lation, 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 directed
Mr. Hepburn Of Iowa, declared that the
| House was no longer a deiberative body.
having become so bulky as to lose its
| delberative functions. The whole scheme
| and place of the House under the con-
| stitution, Mr.. Hepburn declared was sub
| verted, destroyed and annihilated by the
| rules of the House Instead Of repre-
| senting his constituents every membe~
| surrendered his political power into tho
hands of others and was unable to be
| heard on any measure without the con-
| sent of officials and committees to whom
| the power was surrendered. The complete
| surrender of individual power was due to
| the members themselves and not to the
| speakers. Members of the Senate wers
| interested In seeing the House membership
| further increased for that carried with
| II the increase of influence and power OF
| each individual senator and the further
| domination of the House of the Senate.
Mr. Grow of Pennsylvania favored the
Hopkins dill and compared the workings
of the House i'm the early days when the
membership was far more limited, with
the disorderly and unrepresentative char
| acter of the body to-day.
Mr.. Pearson Of North Carolina, sup
ported the Burleigh bill, and argued
against the Crumpacker bill, as the lat
ter would be so carried out in the South
as to wipe out the few Republican MEM
bers now coming from that section. He
asserted that the time was fast coming
when the disfranchisement practiced In
the South would be wiped out
At $50 p. m. the House adjourned.