The San Francisco call., 1904-12-07
WOULD WEAKEN
SOUTH'S VOICE
Senator Platt to Introduce
Bill Basing Representa-
tiOn Oh Number of Votes
WILL CAUSE BIG SPLIT
Measure. 1t Is Contended, Is
Designed Only to Carry
Out the Law of the Land

CALL BUREAU. HOTEL BARTON,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.-The first Of
all The measures aimed at the appOr-
tioning Of each States representation
in the House on the actual voting pop
ulation is the bill which Senator T. &.
Platt OF New York viii introduce to
morrow. lis purposes are TO base each
States representation on the male
voting population, according TO the
last official census. BY the operation
OF such a measure. should il become a
law, il is estimated that sixteen dis
tricts in the South viii be affected. It
VIII acutely open the whole Southern
question and viii arouse bitter antag-
onism ia the South.
Senator Platt says that his measure
is aimed at no particunlar section Of
the country. and viii affect all States
alike, and is a just and fair basis Of
representation ia Congress.
The bin which ] propose TO intro
duce. said the New York Senator, is
conservative in all it's details and
ought o. pass. Ii embodies the ideas
Of the Republican Club of New York.
although IL is not a partisan measure -
senator Platt also called attention
10 the fact that his bill will affect the
Northern States. and among them
Massachusetts. The measure is said
to have strong backing. not only Of
the Republican Club Of New York but
OF important members Of the Union
League Club General Henry Z. Tre-
main Of New York made his campaign
on this question during the Presiden-
tial canvass and is interested in this
measure.
The Introduction Of such a measure
by Senator Piatt will cause some sur
prise IN and out Of Congress. since it
was not believed any serious effort
would be made in the present session
10 limit the Southern representation by
an act of Congress.
The Grumpacker resolution prOVid-
ing for an investigation by a select
committee appointed by the Speaker
into the validity Of the election laws
OF the several States and whether the
right t. vote is deaied al any election
for President and representatives in
Congress is still pending. Crumpacker
viii have a conference with President
Roosevelt this week on this question
ard later on an effort viii be made TO
have the resolution brought before the
House. This. il had been expected,
would constitute the only serious at
tempt this winter at reducing the
Southern representation.
senator Platt insists that his bill
conforms TO the plank in the Republi-
can national platform which favors an
investigation by Congress Of this sub
5ect. and. after facts are ascertained.
a reduction of representation in the
several States, according to the four
teenth amendment TO the constitution.
The Republicans contend that in the
Southern States. where the negro vote
Is suppressed, there is a representation
ii Congress entirely out OF proportion
10 that in other parts of the country.
although. they also say. the national
plank and the bill along the lines Of
that Of Senator Platt does not refer TO
the Southern States alone. Several
other States exclude from the elector-
ate some cf their citizens by an edu-
catiOnal test, notably Massachusetts,
Connecticut and California