The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-07-12
ENUMERATION FORMS
BASIS FOR ApPORTIONNENT
New Stale Confidently Expects
10 Secure Two More
Congressman

The Federal census to be taken
next year determines the number Oh
representatives each state will have
IN congress for the ~suing the years
and Oklahoma expects TO secure two
or more additional members. The
enumeration will as well form basis
for apportionment of the legislative
districts and perhaps for revising the
judicial districts on a population ba.
sis.
People of state are rarely sat
ished with a Federal census. The
work is necessarily limited in time.
and following il there are a multi
tude of instances alleging short
counts with shOwings how the state
or the community has been wrong.
fully affected Such feeling gave
rise to a territorial law, which the
state inherited requiring an enum
GRAFTON by county assessors every
spring. Following the census Of
1898. howe ser. the legislature placed
the law on a ten year basis, making
the state enumeration follcN that OF
the Federal government efety five
years. m consequence the census
will be taken in this way. Federal,
1910 state 1915, Federal 1920 state
1926 and so on
First Oklahoma Apportionment
Congress made the first appOrtl0n
ment for Oklahoma when II passed
the enabling act on a basis Of the
1900 count or 19l,1S2 people for ey
cry congressman, although seven
years had elapsed between the cen
sus taking and the admission of the
state to the Union No account was
taken of the approximate gain in
population. neither was a census
taken to establish the number. Dis
triots in known Democratic territory
as it resulted contained in some in
stances l00,0 900 more people than they
did in known Republican territory
A special census was taken under
orders of the President in July, 1907
to show whether the constitutional
convention had been fair and equal
in it, legislative apportionment and
net only did the census bear out the
districts. but demonstrated the state
to be entitled to seven instead of five
congressman
When The general census is com
plete congress determines the mum
her TO each congressional district pT
dividing the aggregate number by
the number of representatives to sit
In the house The result may vary
considerably. according to the in
crease in population, and shifting
Of the house membership. but as "a
usual thing nearly all states gain
some representation When the ra
ito is once established 1t is subject
TO no appeal
Gain Is Not Large.
For the seven years following the
Federal census Of 1900 the possibi-
ities Of statehood increased the pop
ulation of the two territories 623.
7S6 OF 891l2 per year. In 1908 the
annual increase dropped to 3l,0S4,
according to the county enumeration
which gave the state only l,4i5,26l
PEOPLE, or an increase Oter the spo
Cial census of 1907 Of 2 per cent
Unless there is a change in condi
tions the state will do no more than
70 increase normally during 1909 and
the carly part of 1910, which would
make 507429 a fair estimate for
the showing in 1919.
Such an increase will entitle the
state 10 seven or eight congressman,
based upon The ratio congress fixes.
a l'in tf tsc 1r tuao means con
siderable activity for the third legis-
l"tute which revises the congression-
al lines during the term beginning
January, 1911, and the political char.
t III ue ies alatu4e will 90 far
in determining the character of the
congressional districts Already
there Is talk of oyerhauling the con
gressional lines en- a siX-distrct ba-
sis, and electing one or two congress
men at large
Increases and Decreases.
The state census of 1908 shows
that about half Of the state gained in
reputation during the year Twenty
six counties showed decreases. Bry.
an COUNT, one Of the largest in the
state, lost. according to the state
county, 1900 people. or about 16 per
cent, as compared With the Federal
enumeration of 1851 Marshall coun-
ty lost about 1000 and Rogers coun-
~ suffered reduction Of about g.
500 people. Pittsburg county in
creased $50 in population. Oklaho-
ma, 2,122; Muskogee 1900; Conan
che 1.000e BeckHam 2.100; Caddo
$500; Canadian 3,400; Garfield 2,100
and kiowa 1900 LOGAN county had
the LARGEST INCREASE 1902.
The percentage gains were As fol