El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-20
APPORTIONMENT Of CONGRESSMAN
At NEXT SESSION Of HOUSE
Virginia at One Time Had Greatest Number of Represen
tatives-Some States Have Lost Congressman in the
Past-New York Now Has Greatest Mum
her, Rhode Island Smallest

Washington, D. c., Sept. 20.-One Of
the first questions with which the ap-
preaching session of congress viii be
called upon to grapple viii be to de-
termine when the next appOrtiOnment
of members of the house of repre-
sentatives under the recent census
shall be made.
The constitution requires that q re
apportionment shall follow each de-
cennial enumeration of the people, and
accordingly a redistribution of seats
in the house membership has taken
place hitherto soon after the cOnclu-
sion 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 appor-
tionment bills for the 18th and 18th
census We're brought in and passed
in each case during the short session
of the current congress Immediately
following the census. It will rest with
the approaching session to determine
whether it shall follow the old or the
new precedent. Politics may deter
mine the choice.
Election VIII Be Decided.
Before the time for the meeting OF
congress the result of the November
election will have become known. If
the Democrats should come into con-
troll of the house for the 63d congress
they would naturally resist any effort
to have the change made by the pres
ent Republican congress, while the
Republicans 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 fractions
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 con-
siderable number of citizens over the
number necessary to give them the
number Of members assigned them.
The size of the house once determined,
the representation OF each state is
arrived at by dividing the aggregate
population of the country by the total
membership of the house and then di-
viding the population of any given
state by the quOtient thus obtained.
Almost inevitably there ensues upon
each of such divisions remainder,
fixing the representation on the vot-
ing rather than the actual population
this remainder, or fraction, affords
the only base of manipulation of the
apportionnent of members
If used TO the extreme it might be
an important factor as 10 fewer than
% representatives now hold their
seats on fractions That they should
do so is strictly in accordance with
the 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 follow
ed in the last apportionment in all
allotments except those made to Maine
and Nebraska In both those states
congress exercised somewhat arbitra-
~ power by giving each a representa-
tive on a fraction less than the frac-
lions Of other states which received
nothing because of their own frag-
ments This action was taken to pre-
vent the loss of representation by any
state.
House Leaders Don't Want Increase
If that policy should be accepted
In the approaching apportionment it
could upset the plans of some OF the
mouse leaders who are most anxious
TO avoid any appreeiable 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 staes will be found
to have failed to keep pace in growth
with some of their larger neighbors
and with many of the western states.
H. therefore, they are to be protected