Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-11
FULTON MAY BE IN
SEPARATE DISTRICT

Will Fulton county, Greater Fulton
county, become a congressional district
within itself after the United States CEN
sus for 1910 is taken, if its population IS
Increased by the annexation of DeKalb
county?
Aldine Chambers, the lawyer and city
councilman, suggests the possibility. 9th
ers agree with him that it is entirely
within the range of the near future.
Georgia's population, according to the
census o. 1909 was 2,216,0Q0 souls. On the
1900 representation basis of i94,1S2, the
state has eleven members in the national
congress For ten years previous to 1901,
when the new representation basis was
fixed by congress on the census OF the
year before, Georgia was allowed the
same number of congressmen-eleven-
the 1897 basis of 17S,sO1 population to each
member of congress. Before that the
number was ten 1t had increased stead
lily from three during the preceding hun
dred years.
But the 1910 census will show that Geor-
gia has great many more inhabitants
than ten years previOusly-probably 2I5O.-
600 or 100000 people. If the present basis
of representation were to remain I'M
changed, it would undoubtedly be al
lowed a greater number of congressman
New Representation 225,OOO
But the representation basis will be
raised by congress. as it is raised after
each census. in order that congress may
not become too Overcrowded and unwield-
lly. 1t is thought entirely probable that
on the 1910 census congress will base the
country's future representation on not
more than 22500O population. This has TO
be done every ten years, to keep pace
with the nations growth. and still hold
the national congress down to a reasona-
BILE working number. In 1901 the number
| of congressman grew, even though the
basis of representation was raised, to $50
from 1885, About twenty-five additional
members, on the average, are allowed In
congress every ten years.
| BY those who regard ii as entirely pos
sible that Georgia wiz get her twelfth
Iconsressman under the 1910 census, and
| that under the redistricting that would
be occasioned by ~the increase Greater
Fulton will stand alone as a congress
sional district, it is estimated that Fulton
county, as it is at present, without any
other part of DeKaIb added than that in
cluded in the new Ninth ward. will have
COO population and that, with Dekalb'
Greater Fulton will have a population
of 220.O goo or 10000 people.
| Under that estimate. if the basis of rep
Presentation is increased at the same
lratio as has prevailed for number OF
decades past-about %, 900 after each GEN.
sus-and becomes say 10000 or 10000. in
stead of 1874, 1s2. as 1t now is, Greater Full
lton will certainly be sufficient unto itself
as a congressional district without regard
to what may be true of the rest OF the
state. And IT, under the new basis, Geor-
gia still has only eleven congressman
which Is regarded as very improbable and
conservative by those who have studied
the situation-Greater Fulton viii name
one of those eleven.
Will Legislature Be Affected
And another question suggests itself:
! VIII the 1910 census make any change
lin the state legislature?
Under the law, three representatives are
lalIowed for each of the six biggest conn
lties in the state-the six counties having
the greatest number of inhabitants. Each
Of the next twenty-six in point OF popu'
llation has two members in the lower
lhouse of the general assembly And al
the rest have one representative each.
AS a natural consequence, some county
among the six first and the next twenty
six is always hanging on the ragged edge
lof a drop. and some county Is AWAY.
lclawing UP to the next higher lever. Inc
lsituation is always watched with keet
Interest, and the possibilities OF each cen
y sus are. therefore, big.
prior to the census Of 1900 Burke coun
lty was among the blk six, ana Ihomaf
Ecounty headed the lesser twenty-six
when the count of that year was an
Inounced Thomas knocked Burke out o.
the top class, and Burke dropped t'
Thomas place in the second.
VIII something of this sort happer
after the 1910 census is officially pup
llished? .t-s+ 10