The age-herald., 1901-01-08
Number of Vigorous Speeches
 Against the Measure
CRUMPACKER WAS INTERRUPTED
The Army Bill Discussed in the Senate and Lodge Made a Brilliant Speech in Favor of Large
 Establishment.

"A
 Washington, January 1.-The animated de- bate in the House on the re-apportionment bill for the various States is nearing it's close, 1t being unanimously agreed today that the final vote should be taken before the session closes tomorrow.
 - MT. Hopkins expressed confidence that the bill bearing his name will be passed tomorrow, although there may be a slight change, giving an additional member to Florida Colorado and North Dakota, bring ing the total membership up to 36O.
 The notable speeches today were by MT. Crumpacker of Indiana, dealing with al- legged disfranchisement in the South; by MT. Hepburn of Iowa, severely arraigning the present rules as annihilating the consti- tutional prerogatives of the House, and by MT Grow of Pennsylvania, comparing the old system in the House with that of the present
 MT. Kitchen of North Carolina, the first speaker today, supported the Hopkins bill, but said he would vote against the amend ment requiring the Congressional districts ir the several States to be contiguous and compact He said he did not believe that Congress had the power 10 designate the manner in which the States should make up Congressional districts. MT. Kitchen then replied at some length to the speech made by MT. Linney of North Carolina last Saturday, attacking the Southern Demo- crats.. for disfranchising the negro. MT. Lacey of Iowa, who followed MT. Kitchen, also supported the Hopkins bill.
 crumpacker's Argument.
 Mir Crumpacker of Indiana, the member of the census committee who presented the minority report in favor of reducing the representation in the southern states in proportion to the abridgement of the fran chise. then took the floor for an hour. As between the Hopkins and Burleigh bills, he said he favored the latter because 1t kept pace with the growth of the country. He argued that during the past few years the Interference of the House in legislation has steadily diminished, a condition due to the fact that the members of the lower house allowed themselves to be dominated by the Senate and Chief Executive If the mem- bership were to remain stationary as the years went on its influence would continue to diminish.
 He then developed his argument against 
 along the line of his report. He pointed out the voting requremets in Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina, and adduced figures to show that in Louisiana 43 per cent of her male citizens over H years of age were disfranchised; in Missis- sppi 42 per cent; dn North Carolina 54 per cent, and in South Carolina 43 per cent
 MT. Crumpacker was frequently inter- rupted by members of the delegations from Touiu,iano North Carolina South Carolina and Mississippa. They besieged him with questions and denied many of his state ments.
 The Bureigh Bill.
 MT Wilson of South Carolina spoke in favor of the Burleigh bill, and incidentally discussed the negro question in the south. The worthy and industrious negro popula- tSon he said, was being educated and cared for in the south, and 1t was only against inc criminal class, those guilty of an atrocous crime against women that lynch ing was directed.
 Mr Hepburn of Iowa declared that the House was no longer deliberative body, having become so bulky as to lose its delib- erative functions. MT Hepburn said 1t would be better to decrease than to in- crease the size of the House. The whole scheme and place of the House under the constitutions MT. Hepburn declared. was subverted, destroyed and annihilated by the rules Of the House, py WHfti ipo iifcihuei was able to be heard cn any measure with out the consent of the officials and commit tees to whom power was surrendered.
 Mr. Crow of Pennsylvania favored the Hopkins bill, and gave an interesting com- ,narrson between the workings of the House rhe early days, when the membership
 far more limited with the disorderfy
 rlnrepresentative character of the body
 tf.. c., o, the Bureigh bill, and argued against the Crumpacker bill, saying the latter would be so carried out in the south as to wipe out the few Republican members now com sng from that section. He asserted that the time was fast coming when the disfran- chisement practiced in the south would be wiped out.