The National tribune., 1909-07-15
FOR A BIGGER HOUSE.
A Campaign Begun to Increase the Mem.
bership to AS.

a lively campaign is now on to increase
the membership of the House of Represen-
tatives to 425. 1t is an early bird cam
paign, for it will be a couple of years
before the House votes the reapportion-
ment of Congressional districts i'll all the
States. The Congressional election of
next year will be conducted on the present
apportionment of 391 members. The re-
apportionment will affect the Congress
sional and Presidential elections of 1872
for the first time.
There are attractive arguments behind
the movement for a larger House of Rep
resentatives. 1t furnishes more jobs for
the politicians. among other things = jobs
at $500 a year with perquisites. And
the larger the House of Representatives
the more places several States are sure
to have. Then as the population grows
to the West. every reapportionment in
creases the comparative representation of
the Western States. which are receiving
the brunt of the migrations, and the older,
and generally the Eastern States, suffer.
The latter States want to keep the same
number of Representatives as heretofore.
to pull the wires and organize the House
so that there will be an increased mem
bership. That means the quotient of
population, as it is called. required for
one Representative is smaller. and when
that quotient is used as divsor upon the
population of given State. whose popu-
lation has been increasing slowly, the
chances of that State retaining its quota
of Representatives are increased.
The plans will have to be figured ont
in detail after the census figures have been
announced next Spring. Then it will be
definitely known what the population Of
the States is and what States have in
creased more slowly than others. Maine
has been a leader in the movement for
increasing the membership of the House
for the last 20 years. because there is
great aversion among Maine people to los
ing any one of their four Representatives.
The House was increased after the Cen
sus of 1890, and again after the Census of
1900. largely to placate this sentiment in
Maiae Some other States joined in. In
diana for instance, where there is also a
decided aversion to losing any of the pres
ent Is members. 1t looks now as tho
Indiana would be in the lineup for a
larger House of Representatives again,
altho that depends upon what the Census
figures show. Such States in lighting for
their representa- ton, of course, boost the
representation of the more populons States.
Under the last apportionment, New York
State, which had gained in population so
that it would have been entitled to more
Representatives in the House any way, was
benefited to the extent of an additional
member of two by the joint efforts of
Indiana, Kansas, Maine, and several other
States to retain their previous strength.
And, therefore. New York joined Kansas,
Indiana. and Maine in the fight for the
larger House.
1t is now feasible to have House men,
bership of 425, if the authorization for
the removal Of the benches from the hall
is carried out, as it probably will be.
There is room for no more seats, and II
desks were TO be retained it would be
futile to talk about any material increase
over 391. But within two years it Is
planned to have the benches torn out, and
once the British House of Parliament
pratice has been adopted, there will be
plenty of space.
The electoral college is affected by what
ever arrangements are made for the reap
portionmeDt of the Congressional dis
| tricts. For the electoral college has as
many votes as there are Senators and
Representatives This. of course, holds
true also of the individual States as well
as of the entire Nation. So, if the House
of Representatives is to be Increased to
425 members the electoral college in thf
next Presidential campaign will consist oi
SIT votes. instead of 4S3 votes. as 1T has
been during the last two Presidential
elections. :,
1t is not easy to conjecture which, il
either party, will profit from any such IN
crease in the college. If States that are
of the increases in population, why, tht
Republicans would gain in the authorize
ton of large House of Representatives
| On the other hand the Democrats might
gain for similar reasons. The question II
unlikely to be prominent politically, a,
there is likely to be so little party ad
vantage one way or another that the poll
ticians will not think it worth while.
Republicans and Democrats will be II
the scheme to increase the size OF th'
House. There will be Southern SaIes
nresent apportionment is continued. an!
thew viii be ready to join with Repnbll
cans for the purpose of holding advantage
for their State in the popular LEGISLATIVE
branch.