New-York tribune., 1901-01-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
FIREBRAND In THE HOUSE
REDUCTION OF SOUTHERN REPRESEN-
TATIoN PROPOSED.
DEMOCRATS FILIBUSTER AGAINST CoNSrp-
GRAFTON. AND AN ADJOURN
MENT is FORCED
IBT TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1BuSE.I

Ao~A~ah AlthtSGFS IN tNe house or EleEreSTN-
tatives TO take up to-day. on the reassenbIIns
OK Congress. the problem Of reapportionment.
was interfered with in a somewhat startling
manner by a heated parliamentary dispute over
proposition to compEcate that problem by
probing the schemes of Acknowledgement IN
vogue in certain Southern States in eontraven-
ton of the terms OF the XIVth Amendment to
the Constitution Representative Olmsted. of
pennsylvania, a member Of Elections Commit
zee NO. :. precipitated the dispute by Offering
resolution directing the COMMITTEES on Census
10 report 70 the House in what States. if any.
the right to vote for electors Of President and
Viee-President for Representatives in Congress
or Tor State Executive. judicial or Legislative
olflcers, had been denied OF abridged 20 male
! Ahhaoitants twenty-One years Of age and eiti-
zens OF the United States. except for particlpa-
tion in rebellion or other crimes
THE STRUGGLE POSTPONED.
As the Census Committee. which reported the
pending ApportiOnment bill. had refused OF It's
own motion TO undertake an Investigation OF
this sort. or to reappOrtion representation In
: congress except on the basis OF actual and not
necessarily voting population. Mr.. OImsted's res
olution raised in a measure an issue between
the two committees brought most directly In
contact with the problem Of remedying State
violations of the XIvth Amendment. The Penn
sFIVshia member maintained that his resolution
was privileged. and after lively argument, in
which Mr. Richardson. OF Tennessee. sustained
the opposite contention. Speaker Henderson
! ruled IN MI Olmsted's favor. Filibustering was
resorted TO by the Democratic leaders TO stavs
OF action. and the attendance at the House
on the hrst day after the Christmas recess was
naturally small and the question raised in the
resolution was universally admitted to be se-
nous and important one. the struggle ended
I after an hour or more in an adjournment which
was forced by vote of q to %. Neither the
managers Of the Apportionment bill nor the
leaders Of the Democratic side were prepared 20
face the question injected into the House by the
Oimsted resolution. and it was thought wiser 70
fight the issue out with fuller attendance to-
morrow
II such resolution as Mr.. Olmsted's is adopt-
ed 1t will naturally upset all present plans for
reapportioning representation this winter; for
no bill restricting representation on other
grounds than relative loss OF population can
pass the two houses in the limited time left for
legislation at this session. On the other hand
many Republican members feel that those
States which have abridged the right OF suf-
frage in plain violation OF the terms OF the
XIVth Amendment should lbe penaIIzed Soma
compromise will probably be agreed on by which
the Census Committee win be authorized 70 m
quire into the processes Of disfranchisemenr
adopted in North Carolina South Carolina. Mis-
sissippi and Louisiana Cor guidance in future
legislation, the House accepting. meanwhile. an
aPportionment scheme drawn on the usual plan
DEFEATED BY ABsENTEEIsM
The OInsted resolution created a sensation.
and was surprise even to several OF the Re
publican leaders The leaders on the Demo
cratic side openly avowed that they would fight
every proposition looking TO the reduction OF
representation from the Southern States to the
bitter end. Several Of the Republicans were
secretly in sympathy with them and their In
difference TO the fate of the resolution IN the
end gave the opposition the victory Of to-day.
Many of them quietly paired with absent Demo
Gratis, leaving their absent colleagues impaired
AS a result. when the question Of consideration
was raised. the vote was 81 TO SS-nOt q quorum.
1t was a strict party vote Two Republicans
Lands. of Indiana. and Mann, OF ulinois-an-
swered present but did not vote The story OF
the defeat is found in the absentees on both
sides who were impaired Thirty-two Republi-
cans were absent and impaired against sixteen
of the opposition. Those absent and impaired
were:
Burkett. Calderhead. Clarke. OF New-Hampshire:
Dahle. Samuel Davenport, Dick Fowler. Gardner
Loudenslager MoCleaTy. MetSaf. Miller. Mondel.
showaiter. smith of illinois: sprague. Stevens, of
Minnesota; WadSWOrth and WangeF.
DemOCratS-Barber, Of Pennsylvania: Bradley. OF
New-YOTk; Brewer. Caldwell Catchingss CASTOR
StaiIinss Wilson OF South Cardinal and Zsigis-
Silver Repubhcan-WilsOn. Of ldahO.
Chairman Hopkins. however, is confident OF
victory for his bill. He thinks the Olmsted reso-
luton may pass in a full House. and that the
investigation may be made. but that the matter
will end there. Irrespective Of the fate OF the
resolution. however. he will press the Reappor-
tionment bin. and thinks it will pass on Mon
day. If possible. he will displace private bin
day tomorrow with his measure.
MR.. OLMsTED's RESOLUTION
The full text of the OImsted resolution is as
follows:
Whereas The continued enjoyment OF fun reprs-
sentaton in this House by any State which has tor
other crime. denied 10 any of the male inhabitants
thereof, being twenty-one years Of age and citi-
Representatives in Congress. Presidential Electors
of the XVIII Amendment TO the CoSsruTion o
the United States. which declares that in such
reduced in the proportion which such male citi-
zens bear 10 the whole number OF male citizens
invasion Of the rights and dignity Of this House and
Sibt Of rs an5 nTyiler % in This o ~ o,b uPOs tSs
and their Representatives; and
of Mississippi South Carolina and LOUISIANA lave
bv changes in the constitutions and statutes Of
rebellion and other crime, denied the right OF suf-
frage 10 male inhabitants twenty-one years Of age
each of said States extends 10 more than One-haIf
appears from the following statistics. published IN
the Congressional Directories Of the Lid and
Mississippi the total vote cast for ali CONGRESS
candidates in 1880 was s. go: in ss. 27OG In the
1890 1882 and 3 sSl in lS9S In the six districts
Of louisiana siSsS N ~ ana Ss,lSI N lsSS one
counties in Mississippi with population in 1850 OF