The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-10-19
DEPENDS ALMOST ENTIRELY ON
THE RESULT OF THE NO
VEMBER ELECTIONS.
Leaders Don't Want Big House


The DISTINGUISHING of the Negro in
the South Will Receive Attention
If Matter Is Brought Up, and
Southern Representation in Con-
gress May BE Affected.
WASHINGTON, D. C-By consti-
tutional implication the national
house of representatives is subject
to reapportionment following each
decennial enumeration of the popu-
lation of the United States. Wheth-
er that reapportionment, in the case
of the siXty-seCOnd congress, will
come upon the meeting of the next
congress will very likely depend on
the outcome of the November cleo
tions. The redistribution OF seats
in the house is not directly required
Immediately after the census is
taken, but it is so plainly indicated
as an intention that such action has
always followed, and the question
of whether or not this will be done
at the next congress will be among
the first for determination when the
house has assembled and organized.
A cast up of the states of the
Union, taking figures from the last
house of representatives, the condi-
tions where elections are to be held
and the outlook today, the facts are
these:
The present house consists of 217
republicans and TIA democrats.
The outlook for the 62nd con-
gress shows: 1872 republicans, 141
democrats and 118 doubtful. In the
doubtful enumeration are those
memberships wherein the contests
have not yet been decided and
there is a question as to who will
be elected, and in many cases where
there IS doubt as to the election go
ing to a republican or democrat,
where now the majority of these
seats are held by republicans.
Before the time for the meeting
of congress the result of the Novem-
Der elections will have become
known. If the democrats should
come into control of the house for
the 63rd congress they would nat
urally resist any effort to have the
change made by the present republi-
can congress, while the republicans
would be as anxious to have the SER
vice performed while they we're in
control of legislation in both houses.
Up to 1892 the reappOrtiOnment
was uniformly postponed until the
drst session Of the congress succeed
ing the enumeration, but after the
18th census a change was made and
the apportionment bills for the 18th
and 18th census were brought in
and passed in each case during the
short current session.
Apportionment in itself can be
used for party advantage only
through the manipulation of popu-
Iation fractions in the various states.
If the present day plan of fixing
upon a definite number of members
as the first step in the distribution
is followed many states will be found
TO have a considerable number of
citizens over the number necessary
to give them the number of members
assigned them. The size of the
house once determined, the repre-
sentation of each state is arrived at
by dividing the aggregate popula-
ton of the country by the total men,
bership of the house and then divid-
ing the population of any given state
by the quOtient thus obtained. AL
most inevitably there enSues upon
each of such division a remainder,
large or small. Aside from aTbitra-
rily fixing the representation on the
voting rather than the actual pOpu-
lation this remainder, or fraction,
affords the only basis of manipula
ton of the apportionment of men,
bers.
The first apportiOnment made by
the constitution itself provided for
one member to every 10000 inhabi-
tants with the result that at it's first
session the house contained only 65
members. The census of 1890 re-
suited in an increase to 105 with
SO 1000 as the basis of representation.
From that time forth with one eX-
ception the increase both in repre-
sentation and ratio has been steady,
as follows; 1900, 141 members,
with a ratio of $4,000; 1910, 181
members and ratio of $4,000; 1920,
213 members and ratio of 100000;
1880, $40 members and ratio of A.
700; 1910, 223 members and ratio
of 70,68O; 1850, 233 members and
ratio of 93,423; 1860, 243 members
and ratio of 127,381; 1870, 233
members and ratio of 131,425;
1880, 1926 members and ratio of