The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-12-15
QUESTION OF NEW
ALLOTMENT UP
Congress viii Probably Have a
Bitter Fight on Its Hands Over
REIMBURSEMENT.
By Ernest G.. Walker.

mail Special to The Advertiser.l
WASHINGTON, November 2s-Tbe
lines are forming for vigorous tug-of-
war over one Of the very few matters
OF general legislation that congress can
possibly pass this winter. 1t concerns
the allotment of congressman to the
divers States for the next ten wears.
The census bureau, under Director Du-
rand. mas the necessary data now in
hand. In a few days he Will turn il
over to Chairman trumpacker. whose
house committee on census VIII soon
begin its sessions to formulate an ap-
portlonment bill.
Some writers have been asserting
that the Republicans have u great ad
! vantage because they possess the OPP
portunity of enacting this law. That IS
hardly borne out by the facts All the
| ho1se aud senate can do is to decide the
! number OF representatives each State
shall have. Whether it be more or less
| than 4oJ-an' on that point the strug
gle frIncipaaE centers-WilI give no
particular advantage to either political
party. Either way the Republicans
would gain something in certain States
and the Democrats something in other
! States. But a number of the smaller
and of the mcdium-sized States are GER
! tain to lose a representative or two,
unless congress votes to increase the
house from 39l members, as now con
stituted to approximately 425 members.
Cities Will Gain.
The bio States. comprising large
cities. lis. New York. Massachusetts,,
Illinois aud Ohio are not particularly
concerned over this measure Of legisa-
ton. Their population has increased
enormously and in any event their con
gressiouaI delegations viii be larger by
from one to four or five votes. Indi-
ara. Iowa and Wisconsin in the West
will form the nucleus Of the fight for
larger house. because their population
has not been augmented during the
last decade They will have an active
eastern ally in Maine, but probably
New Hampshire. Vermont, and Rhode
Island will be little interested beyond
helping the Maine people out as much
as they can
Spirited Contest Probable.
There IS a deal Of sentiment in these
ten years pp0rtionments. The IegisIa-
ton of 1900 was fought nip and tuck
for weeks. The tide was turned by the
aid of powerful senators, including
Hale and Frye, of Maine, in getting
the votes Of New York and PennsyIva
MIA to support bill that would enable
Maine to retain her quota of four rep
resentatives. Director Durand believes
the contest this winter will be more
spirited than it was III 1900. The ad
vocates of a larger house have some
advantage in the organization Of the
census committees. Representative Ed
gar D. Crumpacker, Of Indiana, IS the
chairman. and Representative Edwin {.
Burleigh, of Maine, is the leading Re
publican member The census commit
tee of the senate and the senate itself !
viii probably acquiesce IN whatever APP
portionment bill the house passes, forI
the apporti0nment every ten years al
fects only the house. But the chairman
and ranking Republican member of
that committee are respectively Sena
tors LaFollette, of Wisconsin, and
HaIe, of Maine.
Insurgents May Lose.
The insurgents States of Nebraska,
something in voting power if the idea
of the smaller house of representatives,
prevails. senator LaFollette, of course,
will not be insensibIe to that prospect
+ means more than the loss Of votes in
the house. The representation IN ma
tional conventions IS governed by the
apportionment law as IS the strength IN
the electoral college that chooses a
President and Vice-President every
folr wears. As an example. Maine now
has four representatives and two sena-
tors. In the electoral college the State
has SIX votes; in the national conven-
lions twelve delegates, four at large
and eight from the four congressional
districts. Ii the State Is given but
three members of the house hereafter,
Names electoral vote will be five and
IN The next national convention herr
DELEGATION Will consist of ten men.
No Filibuster,
The talk Of a fIibuster this winter to
rrayent the enactment of au apportIon-
men- law, 50 that the Democrats can
do il themselves next year, Is not well
founded. As already stated no particu-
rar advantage would be gained. On the
other hand the State legislatures in
session this winter must await the en-
9ctment Of this law before they in turn
define the boundaries Of congressional
districts within their own borders.
MANY Of the legislatures meet biennial
* and will want to fix the districts be
fore adjouruing.
Gerrymander.
1t hardly needs to be said tina. theI
Democrats, are quite anxious this
should be done forthwith, or that they
propose to gerrymandrr to their own|
advantage very mach as the Repub- !
Jicans did ten years ago. They now
control both branches of the incoming
=. Mn, <avr Work Ohio