The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-02-18

reau believe the approaching thir-
teenth census will disclose a popula-
tlon in the United States proper of
approximately SS,0O0,OOe Should con-
gress adopt the same ratio for con.
gressional representation as that used
for apportionment after the twelfth
census-that is, one representative to
each 1941S2 population-the house Of
representatives will have 457 mem
bers. exclusive of territorial delegates.
This would be an increase over the
present number of 66.
Section 2, article !, of the oonstitu-
ton Of the United States provides that
representatives and direct taxes shall
be apportioned among the several
states which may be included in this
union, according to their respective
numbers. The first census was taken
1907. and every ten years
thereafter, for the purpose Of appor.
tioning the representatives in con-
gress.
The house OF representatives is
thgught by many to be already too
large and unweildy for the quick dis
patch Of legislative business. An adj
dition of 66 new members would un-
doubtedly render it still more cum
bersome. The question, therefore 10
be decided by congress is: Will the
house agree to any apportionment that
will reduce its membership? Judging
from past performances 1t will not.
IL would be difficult TO discover a sin
gle congressman who would be Will.
ing to legislative himself out of job,
hence there will be, IL is believed, NO
effort in the house to increase the
number of population Of each con.
gressional district thus reducing the
number of seats in the house. AS for
the senators, the census will have no
effect on their number, there being
two from each state irrespective Of
the size of population of the different
commonwealth. New York having the
same number as tiny Rhode Island
Census officials Deneve that CON
gress will make the apportionment, or
possibly fix the population of each
congressional district at a round 2O0,-
600, a slight increase. Those states
which have increased in population
some OF them enormously-since the
last census, will gain in number Of
Representatives, while the states
whose population has remained sta
tionary, or practically so, or those
having a slight increase. will have
proportlonately a smaller increase
In the number of their representa-
!, tives. II 100000 Is decided on as the
ratio. then congress would have 400
representatives. Oacials OF the cen.
sus bureau believe that the new cen
ssus will not show single decrease in
single state, and while some Of the
states viii have much larger num-
Der Of representatives than now. no
state will have its quota In congress
reduced.
Assuming that the same apportion-
ment number 194.1S2 as at present
will be fixed as the basis for represen.
tation by congress, the states that
will gain additional representatives IN
congress are many. These viii be
with the probable increase In repre-
/ sentation: New York 8, Pennsyl-
vania 6, Illinois 5, Texas and Okla
homa each, Ohio 3, and Alabama,
California, Georgia, Indiana, Massa-
chusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-
souri,, New Jersey. Tennessee and
Washington each. The states Of
Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, Montana. North
Carolina. North Dakota Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Utah and West Virginia will
each gain one. The remaining states
will have the same number as before.
There are some critics, but they
are not in congress, who believe that
as 457 representatives would be un-
weildy, that the apportionment should
be based on a larger number. say 225,-
600. BY using this number the mem
bership OF the house would only be
increased four, giving the house a
membership of 394 The house now
has a membership Of 8s1 Under such
an apportionment Kansas, Maine, Ne
braska, Vermont and Virginia would
lose a representative, and II is safe
to say that the delegations from these
states would raise a strenuous OBJ
lection to this. Under this opportion-
ment only seven seats would gain,
namely New York and Oklahoma 2
each, and Illinois, Minnesota, New
Jersey. Pennsylvania and Texas one
, apiece.
If this apportionment should be
made, in order TO quiet the opposition
to Il congress would probably follow