The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-06
TuTS IN HOUSE
LIVELY EXCHANGES BETWEEN HOP
KINs AND LITTLEFIELD.
Discussion of the Reapportionment
Bill Unusually Sharp mt Times
and Slightly Acrimonious.
ILLINOIS MEMBER HIT HARD
FRESH EVIDENCE THAT THE MAINE
ORATOR is ALWAYS AWAKE.
MIR. Littlefield AppIauded for Saying
He Was Prosecuting a Criminal i'm
Opposing Hopkins's Bill.
SPEECH BY W. B. SHATTUC
WHO FAvORs CUTTING DOWN THE
SOUTHLAND'S REPRESENTATION.
of North CarOIina-HOpkins WILL
ing to Amend His Bill.
MIR. Littlefield Applauded for Saying
Opposing Hopkins's Bill.
SPEECH BY W. B. sHATTUC
WHO FAvORS CUTTING DOWN THE
SOUTHLAND'S REPRESENTATION.
Southerners Stirred Up by aIr. Linney,
of North CaroIina-HOpkins Will
ipx to Amend His Bill.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-The feature Oh
the debate upon the reapportionment bill
In the House to-day was two-hour speech
Burleigh bill to increase the membership
of the House to 3S6. He had number Of
man of the census committee, in which he
sustained his reputation as a hard hitter
and vigorous debater. The other speakers
to-day were Messrs. Shattuc Rep.. o..
Klutz Dem., n. CO., Fox (Dem., Miss.),
Switzerland Pop., Neb.). Linney Rep., N.
c., Olmsted CRep., Pa.) and Miers Oem.,
Ind)
During the course of the day Mr.. Hopkins
expressed q willingness to accept an
amendment to his bill which would give an
additional representative each to Florida,
Colorado and North Dakota, the three
States with majority fractions unrecog
nized in this bill. He claims assured vic
tory for his bill, but the advocates of the
Burleigh bill insist almost as confidently
that the Hopkins bill will be beaten.
Speaker Henderson was again to-day de-
tanned at his home by illness and Mr.. Dal-
zell (Pa.), by designation of the speaker.
presided over the deliberations of the
House. Without intervening business the
debate upon the reapportionment bill was
resumed. Mr.. Littlefield was the first
speaker His argument was in favor of the
Burlsigh BILL That bill provided for "A
House of 3S6 members. Mr.. Littleheld de-
clared that the Hopkins bill could proper
lv ha emit cd a acf fo ir,rla Staf
of Maine in her representation in the House
and in the Electoral College" He resented
what he termed Mr.. Hopkinss assault"
on the State of Maine That statement
drew from Mr. Hopkins an indignant de-
nial which led to sharp exchange be-
tween the two members
Mr.. Littlefield sarcastically called Mr..
Hopkinss attention to the men who, like
Lovejoy and Fuller, had gone to Illinois to
give distinction to that State. yet" said
he. 1.-The gentleman's speech yesterday was
saturated with a .pettifogging assault upon
Maine"
IF there Is any member Of this House
who is an expert on pettifogging it is the
gentlemen from Maine" retorted Mr.. Hop
kins.
'The gentleman from Maine" replied Mr..
Iittleield, never defended criminal. but
he has prosecuted several. and he is prose
cutting one now Laughter and applause. !
THAT is just the sort of remark 1 should
have expected from the gentleman, judging
by his previous course upon this floor"
answered Mr.. Hopkins.
The proposition of the minority was, Mr.
Littlefield said, that no State should lose
representation under the new apportion-
ment Mr.. Littlefield called attention to
the paradoxes of Mr. Hopkins's system of
computation. The system seemed designed,
he said to play battledore and shuttlecock
with the State of Maine. "In it goes and
out 1t goes" said he, whether the repre-
sentation goes up or down."
THE gentleman points out these alleged
paradoxes under the operation of the fig
ures of the director of the census" inter-
posed Mr.. Hopkins. ''yet the Burleigh bill
is predicated upon the same process
After sharper exchange than usual with
Mr.. Hopkins, the chair was obliged to call
the gentleman to order and to call atten-
ton to the rule which provides that the
gentleman on the floor cannot be inter-.
rupted without the consent of the other,
and also to the rule that members cannot
address each other by the second person
1.-The gentleman has already interrupted
me about twenty-five times in violation of
the rule" observed Mr.. Littlefield, as he
was about to resume.
"And the gentleman from Maine has vio-
lated the rule with reference to the second
person about fifty times,' exclaimed Mr..
Hopkins.
"The gentleman is becoming exceedingly
technical and sensitive" retorted Mr. Lit
tlefield II will refer to him later in the
third person. and later still I anticipate
that he will have shrunk sufficiently to
permit me to refer to him in the fourth
or fifth person, and perhaps in the end
can eliminate him altogether" Laughter
and applause.]
Proceeding Mr.. Littlefield argued that the
Constitution in providing for decennial ap-
portionment contemplated an increase of
the membership until the House should be-
come unwieldy. The increase was neces-
sary to keep pace with the growth of popu-
lation.
insisted that in making the reapportion-
ment the representation should be reduced
in all States where the right to vote is
abridged. He claimed ten States abridged
the suffrage to an average of 20 per cenr.
These were California. ~ per cent: Con-
necticut, 5s Delaware 14.3: Louisiana, 45.S;
Maine. 5.5: Massachusetts,. s.2: Mississippi,
40; North Carolina. 35.7; South Carolina.
As, and Wyoming, 3.4.
SOUTHERNER'S VIEWS