The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-13
CENSUS MAY GIVE
MANY CHANGES
Membership in Congress May
Be Increased.
A NEW OPPORTIONMENT
Total Membership of House May be
457, an Increase of e8--AIabama
May be Allowed Two New
Members.
A NEW oPPORTIoNMENT
BY SIDNEY EsPEY.

will disclose a population in the United
States proper of approximately $4,000, OOO
Should Congress adopt the same ratio
for congressional representation as that
used for apportionment after the 18th
census-that is, one representative to
each 1912 population-the House of Rep
resentativee will then have 457 members,
exclusive of territorial delegates. This
would be an increase over the present
number of st.
Section 2, article 1 of the constitution
of the United States, provides the repre-
sentatives and direct taxes shall be ap-
portloned among the several states which
may be included in this union according
to their respective numbers. The first
census was taken In 1870, and others ev-
cry ten years thereafter for the purpose
of apportioning the representatives in
Congress.
The House of Representatives is
thought by many to be already too large
and unwieldly for the quick dispatch of
| legislative business An addition of Sc
new membets would undoubtedly render
1t sill more cumbersome. The question
therefore, to be decided by Congress is |:
VIII the House agree to any apportion-
| ment that will reduce its membership?
Judging from past performances it will
not. 1t would be difficult to discover a
single congressman who would be willing
to legislate himself out of job: hence
there will be, 1t is believed, no effort in
the House to increase the number of pop
ulation of each congressional district
thus reducing the number of seats in the
House. AS for the senator's. the census
will have no effect on their number, there
being two from each state. irrespective
of the size OF population of the different
commemorative New York; having the
same number as tiny Rhode BLAND.
Census officials believe that Congress
will make the apportionment according
to the. present apportionment, or possibly
fix the population of each congressional
district at a round 100000. q slight in
crease. Those states which have in
creased in population-some of them enor-
moutly-since the last census, will gain
in humber of representatives while the
states whose population has remained
stationary, or practically So. or those
having slight increase. will have pro-
portionatel, a smaller increase in the
number of their representatives. If 2OO,-
900 is decided on as the ratio, then Con-
gress woulo have 40 representatives. Of
the new census will not show a single
dscl ease In single state and while some
of the states will have a much larger
nun, Der of representatives than now, no
state will rave Its quota In Congress re-
duced.
Assuming that the same apportionment
number. 1941S2 as at present, will be
fixed as the basis for representation by
Congress, the states that will gain addi-
mi al Congress-
mann These will be the probable
increase in representation: New York 8,
Pennsylvania g. Illinois 8. Texas and Ok
lahcma 4 each, Ohio will gain and Ala
bama California, Georgia, Indiana, Mas
sachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-
souri,, New Jersey, Tennessee and wash
ington 2 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 come critics, but they are
not in Congress, who believe that as
457 representatives would be unwieldy,
that the opportionment should be based
on a larger number, say 225,OO0 BY US
ing this number the membership of the
House would only be increased four,
giving the House membership or os4.
The House now has membership OF
391 Under such an apportonment Kan
sas Maine, Nebraska, Vermont and Vir-
ginia would lose representative, and 1t
is safe to say that the delegations from
these states would raise a strenuous op-
faction TO this. Under this apportion-
ment only seven states would gain name
". New York and Oklahoma two each,
Pennsylvania and Texas one apiece.
# this acportionment should be made
In order to quiet the opposition to 1t
Congress would probably follow the pre-
cadent of allowing an additional repre-
sentative at large to those states whose
growth and population has not kept pace
uutb the others Under this apportion-
meht II would be possible that some of
the middle states. as Michigan, indiana
and Ohio would lose one representative
zach immigration to Canada and the
westward movement of population from
tnc middle west are responsible for the
slow increase In population of these
states. Within the past decade more than
3op 0C0 Americans have emigrated to Can
ada. and his loss is not offset by the
comparatively small number of Cana
dams who have come into the United
states. principally into Massachusetts and
New York.
The niemt ership In Congress has stead
ilv Increased since the first census IN 1880.
with one exception At the time of taxi
ing tie fifth census. in 1890, Congress
had PAP members: after that census the
number was apportoned AT 232. loss of
ten members But an increase began
after the seventh census, taken in 1850
which has steadily grown each succeed
ing census. until the present membership
was reached
Even the best political pronhets In
Congress are unable to prognosticate the
n~obabIe political complexion of the
House after the new members come in.
None can say at present whether the new
apportjonn,ent will result in republican
~ democratic advantage.
OF course the new census will show
rreat increase In population. business ana
rasources OF the country generally, out
the bureau officials at this date are
-r,thort enough advance information TO
'ntelli~entlv estimate what these IN
oreoses will be- In the matter OF manu-
eacturers they believe that this census
will show n smaller ratio OF increase
than nreviors census. owing to the ten
lsy,6y in the past ten years toward coh-
ID Idation of big hnoinesses am the cen
lralizat,or Of capital by great corpora
tiops. Every previous census mas SHOWN
an increase of about 90 per cent ~ '"e
number OF factories
rho last census showed about nV,o'
...-4- is he,orc1 those have increased
during the PAST ten years to at least
g. 10000.
Drink moran Ljthia Water