The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-20
May Make Enquiry.
Washington Special to New York Even

Washington Special to New York Even-
 ing Post.
 whether representation can be ad- justed to this new attitude toward the black race is a question that will at- tract attention \when Congress gets here. The first step will obviously be the passage in the House of a resolu- tion directing an inquiry by a select committee. This will be a House af- fair strictly, because 1t concerns rep resentation in that body and not in the Senate, and also because a joint reso- lution of the same purport could not be passed at a short session; the Demo- crats of the Senate would talk 1t to death. Such a resolution would pass the House without doubt, when intro- duced by MT. Crumpacker provided the speaker allowed it to come to & roll call. His decision on this point would not be made until after a conference with the party leaders, although he might permit the inquiry even II the powers that be dld not intend to have the subject pressed further.
 The fresloent, IL has been noted, has maoe no aIIuslon to tnis plank of the platform in any of his accepLanceS dur inS the summer; it's introduction at CnIcago was not hls work. The Re publican leaders are tradItlonalIy much afraid of tAls question; Cney neId MT Crumpdcker bacK Tn the last Congress unL4 eIecIIon suouLd be over, ana now
  nm back Tn the tact that the hepuD- lIcans seem 10 De getting along So well without doing anything. Moreover, d good deal oI Republican strength has developed along the border, which would De Jeuparded by allowing tnIs question to become acute. MIssourk and West Virginia have been carried by the Republicans. Kentucky, aI- though few expected it, has proved one of the closest 6Jates in the Unlon, whiie Maryland is practically a tie and Vir- ginia and Tennessee have given sur prisingIy small Democratic maJorities. 1t never seems to do the Republican party any good in this region to open up the negro question in any form, as the Democrats are able to solidify themselves by raising the white Supre- macy cry. They would probably do 1t with this proposal, although 1t is really an acquiescence of the North in the Southern policy of maintaining white supremacy; Kentucky and Missouri would not suffer any loss themselves from the application of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is doubtful if Vir- ginia would lose any more than Massa- chusetts were the Crumpacker proposal actually put into operation.
 The chances of changing the historic population basis do not at this time seem large. 1t is when a solid South and divided North give the country to the Democrats that the unfairness with the present arrangement most distinctly manifests itself. Then the Republicans can do nothing. Now that they have the power, they do not feel the need of improving their fortunes in this way. The gerry mander of the Northern States by Re- publican Legislatures gives the Repub- licans an advantage which probably offsets the lack of any real minority party in the South. There will be more Northern States with solid dele gations in the next House than South ern. The solid North will be more conspicuous than the solid South.
 F. B. L.