The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-09-20
OF the Members Of the House
Of epTes tatiVes Glil-
der New Census

der New census. I
NOTION, =. e.. sept 2Og.
one of the hrs4 f4estidB5 Nsith Whlelli
the ap1roaching session 81 Congress.
wII sc ca1fed upon TO srapIJEe VIII he.
IL determine when 1.-The nest pTof-a
GIonmeht OF members Of the House 6f
Representatives under the recent CEN.
sus shall be made.
while II Is not actually required BY
the Constitution that Instrument Inns
plies that real : ortionment
fellow each decennial enumeration Gof
the people, and accordingly q retts-l
trlbution OF seats In the House mem-
befship has taken place hitherto soon
after the conclusion OF each census
Up to 1899 the reapportionment
was uniformly postponed until the
Arst session Of Congress succeeding
the enumeration. but after the eIev-,
ann and twe1fth census were brought
! IN ana passed In each case during the
short session Of the current Congress
Immediately following the census. It.
win rest with the approaching sessfon
to determine whether 1t small follow
the old or the new precedent. Politics
may determine the choice.
before the time for the meeting OF
congress the result of the November
elections Will have become known
Ii the Democrats. should come into
control of the House for the 6Srd Con-
Eress they would naturally resist any
efFort to have the change made by the
present Republican Congress, while
the Republicans would be as anxious
to have the service performed while
tbev were in control OF legislation IN
bc:a Houses.
Apportionment in itself can be used
for party advantage only through the
manipulation OF population fractions
in the various states. II the present
day plan OF liking upon dsanite
number of members as the ftrst step
in the distribution Is followed many
states VIII be found to have a cpnsid d.
cradle number of citizens over the
number necessary to give them the
number Of members assigned them.
The size Of the House once determin-
ed, the reprcsentatl5n of each state rs
arrived at by dividing the aggregate
population OF the country by the to-
tai membership. OF the House and then
dividing the population of any given
state. by the dlotIeRt thus obtained.
Almost inevitably there, ensues upon.
each OF SuCu .Q4NLSAO449f q SsAsS-t'H'
large or small Aside from the arbt-
trarfly fixing the representation on the
voting rather than the actual popula-
ton, this remainder. or fraction, az
rords the only base of manipulation
OF the apportionment % members.
II used to the extreme it might be
an Important factor as no fewer than
twenty-three representatives now hold
their seats on fractions. That they
should do go is strictly in accordance
with the law which provides that, any.
deficiency occurring on an even divis-
ion shall be supplied from the states
having the largest remainders on the
division. This rule was strictly fol-
lowed in the last apportionment IN
all allotments except those made To
Maine and Nebraska. In both those
states Congress exercised somewhat
arbitrary power by giving each rep
resentative on fraction. less than the
Fractions OF other states. which re-
ceived nothing because. Of their own
fragments. This action was taken 70
prevent the loss of representation by
any state
II that policy should be accepted
in the approaching appc rtionment' II
could upset the plans of some Of the
House leaders VINO are, HlOSS "AAAASHSS--9
10 avoid any appreciable increase In
the size OF the House. The census ex-
perts already understand that when
the figures are made public some OF
the smaller eastern states win be
found to have failed to keep pace in
growth with some of their larger
|neighbors and with many OF the west
ern states If, therefore, they are
70 be protected against loss, Of repre-
sentation in the House 1t VIII proba-
bly, be necessary to hold the ratio
down to something like the present
oasis or to discriminate in favor eli
the smaller states
loss OF membership would be by
no means new experience to many
OF the states. In the first apportion-
.nent, made after the census OF 1880
when the House numbered, all told.
only los members Virginia was given
10, or almost one-hfth of the entlrei