The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-09-23
BY Associated Press.

called upon to grapple will be to de-
termine when the next apportionment
of members of the house of represent.
atives under the recent census shall
be made.
While it is not actually required by
the constitution that instrument i'm
plies that reapportionment shall fol
low each decennial enumeration of
the people, and accordingly redis-
tribution of seats in the house mem
bership has taken place hither to soon
after the conclusion of each census.
Up to 1890 the reapportionment was
uniformly postponed until the first
session of the congress succeeding the
enumeration, but after the 18th cen
|sus a change was made and the ap-
portionment bills for the 18th and 18th
census were brought in and passed in
each case during the short session of
the current congress Immediately fol-
lowing the census. 1t will rest with
the approaching session to determine
whether it shall follow the old or the
new precedent. Politics may deter
mine the choice.
Before the time for the meeting of
congress the result of the November
elections will have become known. If
the democrats should come into con-
troll of the house for the 63rd congress
they would naturally resist any effort
to have the change made by the pres
ent republican congress, while the re-
publicans would be as anxious to have
the service performed while they were
In control of legislation in both
houses.
Apportionment in itself can be used
for party advantage only through the
manipulation of population factions in
the various states. If the present day
plan of fixing upon a definite number
of members as the first step in the
distribution is followed many states
will be found to have a considerable
number of citizens over the number
necessary to give them the number of
members assigned them The size of
the house once determined, the repre-
sentation of each state Is arrived at
by dividing the aggregate population
of the country by the total member
ship of the house and then dividing
the population of any given state by
the quotient thus obtained. Almost
inevitably there ensues upon each of
such divisions a remainder, large or
small Aside from arbitrarily fixing
the representation on the voting rath-
er than the actual population, this re-
mainder, or fraction, affords the only
base of manipulation of the appor-
tionment of members.
If used to the extreme it might be
an important factor as no fewer than
% representatives now hold their
seats on fractions. That they should
do so is strictly in accordance with
tie law which provides that, any de-
ficiency occurring on an even division
shall be supplied from the states hav-
ing the largest remainders on the di-
vision. This rule was strictly followed
in the last apportionment in all allot-
ments except those made to Maine and
Nebraska In both those states con.
gress exercised someN hat arbitrary
power by giving each representative
on a fraction less than the fractions
of other states which received nothing
because of their own fragments. This
action was taken to prevent the loss
of representation by any state.
II that policy should be accepted in
the approaching apportionment it
could upset the plans of some of the
house leaders who are most anxious
to 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 will 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 to
be protected against loss of represent
alton in the house it will probably be
to hold the ratio down to
like the present basis or to
in favor of the smaller
states.
A loss of membership would be by |
no means a pew experience TO many Of |
the states. In the first apportionment |
made after the census of 1890, when |
he house numbered, all told, only 105 |
members. Virginia was given 10, or
almost one-fifth of the entire member
ship, and in 1900 that number was in !