The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-11
PLAN PROTEST ANENT SEATING
 MAJOR TILS0N
Failure to Redistrict State After 1900 Census May Cost Him His Seat in Congress
Question to be Put Before New
 Democratic House-Congress- man Himself Not Responsible

New Haven, Nov. 1.-The failure of the Connecticut Legislature during the past nine years to re-district the State into five Congressional districts. instead of leaving it at four, with one ongressman-at-Large, may cost the Republican party one member from this State in the Federal House or Representatives in the person of Maj. John c. Tilson, who on Tuesday was reelected as gressman-at-Large over George P. Ingersoll If the pro ject of a number of local Democfatlc leaders is carried out, as freely talk ed last night a question will be raised in the House of Representatives when 1t conVenes next month as to the seat ing of Congressman TilsOn, in which the issue will be the legality of the election in view of the remissnesS or the past Republican Legislatures III this State. The point to De ralseo is that the election of Congressman Tilson should not hold on the ground that the Federal law is mandatory re- quiring a redistricting of State aI- ter the census has shown that It IS entitled to an additional Represeh'0
 tive.
 House Would Decide.
 If objection to the seating of Con-
 gressman Tilson is made, the matter will be threshed out in the House, which is supreme in determining Ine right of Representatives to seats as members of the body.
 When questioned last night former Congressman James F. Pigott salo that Major Tilson, under the clrcum- stances. would go to Washington, and the whole result would then depend upon what Congress might do III the way of seating him. There IS a man datory Federal law, he stated, that l the State shall be redistricted, which | has been consistently ignored py lne Legislatures here.
 1 The Legislature has disobeyed the l Federal law in not complying Witn I the order for redistricting, he salo. 1 But each National House is the judge | Of it's own membership ana Wnai l it would do in the case of Major Til son could not be known in advance. 1 While the matter of the seating oi l the Congressman-at-Larg from Con necticut on this score has been pre- sented at Washington before, It nas an entirely new significance this year 1 With the House Democratic instead ~ Republican an entirely different adti' tude might be assumed towards tnt failure to redistrict the State.
 Might Compel Redistricting.
 Rv refusing to seat Congressman Til son. who would thus lose his seat b1 m fault of his own but that of tn. | State Legislature, the Democratl' | candidate could not be seated but tn' | redistricting of the State at the nano' | of the next Legislature would tnu | be forced in order to give Connectlcu it's proper representation Ihls IS | point which is strongly emphasized. Attorney James H. Webb said: think it is very possible that the elec
 ton of MT. Tilson may be questione, on the ground that IS raised, altnougl have never considered 1t before
 Sucb a question might very reaoli. I arise. The matter of redistrlctlng LII
 State I presume has been delayed pc
 cause of the fear of the RepuDncaIi creating a doubtful Congressional ols
 Judge A. Heaton Robertson said: : should say that Major Illson Wa elected on an illegal basis. But 1T n is put out of office, the Democrati norn;nee for this office,- George P. Ing : | ersolI of Ridgefeld, could not be nam , ed in place of him. What the Demo r cratic party should have done was ' have refused to have made noTnlna tion until the State was redlstrlcteo 7 But it didn't.
 MT. Pigott was shown a statemen n , from a. high legal authority upon tnl
 matter as given out last night Wnlc 3 read as follows: , ssIt is not likely that the Democrat ! House will refuse to seat Major II l son. The chances are that IL VIII puti f sue the same course in his case Una the last Republican House did.' MT Pieott took exception to thl l by declaring that no one could te
 what a Democratic House might do l l | tha rremiSeS.