The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-12-02


licans gain control of the House of
Representatives again. Reapportion-
ment of representation and redis-
tricting and "gerrymandering" of the
hstates promise to give the democrats
advantages of profound value in Con
gress elections for the next ten years.
One important feature of the work
of the approaching session of Con-
gress will be the passage of the reap.
portionment act fixing the represen-
tation in Congress to correspond to
the increased population as shown by
the late census. Congress will de-
termine its future membership based
upon he population and specify the
number of representatives each state
shall have.
This work must not be confounded
with the redistricting of the states,
which is strictly within the province
of the state legislatures. 1t is in the
latter operation that the "gerryman-
DER gets in it's deadly work. Re-
publicans will have occasion to lament
that redistricting under the next re-
apportionment is to be done by demo-
cratic legislatures in such important
states as New York, New Jersey, Ohio
and Indiana.
Aim of the Democrats.
The object of the democratic legis-
Satures WIZ be to so arrange the
boundaries of the new Congress dis
tricts as to consolidate the republican
vote in as few districts as possible,
and assure democratic majorities by
dividing the democratic counties
among other districts.
Congress has no jurisdiction what
ever over the redistricting and will
have to accept the decree of the le-
gislatures after the basis of appor-.
tionment for the states is fixed by
congressional enactment.
If the democrats care they could
prevent the passage of the apportion-
ment bill at the short session by fill
clustering and put the work over to
the Sixty second Congress. Up to the
year 1890 reapportionment was post
poned until the first session of the
Congress succeeding the enumeration.
The apportionment bills for the
eleventh and twelfth censuses were
lassed during the short session of the
current Congress Immediately follow
ing the census. The republicans are
prepared to bring in bill at the COM
ing short session.
One thing is certain and that is
that there is no likelihood of revival
of agitation for cutting down the re-
presentation of the southern states
in Congress on account of the dis
reimbursement of the negro. With
Congress expiring by constitutional
limitation March next there is no
possibility of passing such law.
Indeed, instead of losing represen-
tation in the House the southern
states stand to gain under the reap
portionment. Natural increase in
population will give them added men,
bership in the House.
To Strengthen Hold.
Thus the democratic party will
strengthen its hold upon the House
of Representatives both by gerry
mander" of congressional districts and
| by legitimate increase in membership.
= his advantage will continue for the
I.eXt ten years and will be a distinct
handicap to republicans at the begin
ming Of each campaign for Congress.
Consideration of the reapportion-
ment act will probably be attended by
| the same bitter resentment against
proposed loss of membership by some
of the eastern states. 1t will be re-
called ten years ago Maine and Vir-
ginia stood to lose membership, and
it was only the logged opposition of
Senators Frye and Hale, backed up
| by the Virginia senators. that pre-
vented those two states losing.
Another feature of the reapportion
ment which will cause discussion will
be whether the total membership Of
the House shall be increased or the
ratio of representation increased,
the latter alternative involving loss of
representatives to some states.
The Constitution provided for the
first apportionment and gave one
member of the House to every thirty
thousand inhabitants, so that the first
House contained only siXty-five mem
| lers.
The present House consists of three
hundred and eighty-siX members and
the ratio of representation is 193,167
Membership and Ratio.
Since the beginning Of the last cen
tury the membership and ratio have
been as follows:
18OO-141 members, with ratio OF
$4,000,
1S1O-1S1 members and ratio of 35-
| nm