The San Francisco call., 1910-12-13
ReappOrtiOnment ard the New
Legislature Organization
GOssips' Themes
Santa Clara County May Be
Base of Congressional
District Apart
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

for the best berths in the gift OF the
state senate. the political gossips have
been reduced 10 two main subjects-re-
apportonment and orga niZation Of the
assembly.
The Los Angeles bosses Of the new
party organization and volunteer die
tators Of the next legislatures acts
have virtually completed the legisla-
tive rea pportionment-t is on paper,
OF course. The special committee on
reapportiOnment named for the repub
lican executive committee had not met
up to q day late in last week. Nor
was Senator L. ". Thompson. named
rs its chairman, ready TO fix date for
such q meeting.
The congressional reappOrtionment
has not elected the expected yells from
Los Angeles. That may be due to the
indications that Los Angeles win not
he called upon to job any other county
in order TO secure two congressman.
On the face Of the returns made by the
director of the census California will
get two more congressman on any
probable basis prescribed in the new
spportionment bill.
TEN CONGREsSMEN PROBABLE
The suggested base Of 235,OOO is
probably an outside figure. When
congress gets through with the bill
the district base is more likely to be
less than more than 235.000. Taking
that figure as the outside base. Cali
fornia viii draw 10 congressman for
its total population of 2.377,5z9.
On their face these figures suggest
two congressmen each for Los Angeles
and san Francisco and the erection Of
one Of the new districts around Con-
gressman F. A. Hayes and Santa Clara
county. which alone has more than one
rhird the population necessary for a
congressional district.
Los Angeles county. with a pOpula-
tion OF 5Q4,I51, has population enough
for two congressional districts and a
substantial hangover for q third dis
trict The Los Angeles politician usual
ly knows what is best for Los Ang-
eIes. Probably he viii prefer to worry
along with two districts comprising
the entire county than TO take the
chances involved in cutting off A small
portion of Los Angeles county and
tFing it up with several other counties
in ? third district. where the afore-
said small portion Of Los Angeles
county would get the worst of it. as
a matter of course
CITY MAY GET TWO
san Francisco. with population Of
1882. is over $4,000 short of the pop
maximum districtsulation necessary for
Two maximum districts. if the appor-
tionment base should be made 235, 900.
With a portion OF san Francisco. san
AIateo and Santa Clara counties are in
cluded in the fifth congressional dis
urict. san MateO has a population Of
Z6-5S5 and Santa Clara $3.50. The in
clusion Of San Mateo county with San
Francisco cO6nty would result in
combined population of 43.497 or
enough to make two major fraction dis
tricts, as viii be provided by the fed
eral reapportionment bill
That Santa Clara county with its
IS 1000 population must be cut off from
San Francisco, or rather that san Fran
cisco must be cut off from Congressman
Hayes, seems inevitable. This may be
hard or Hayes. for san Francisco has
done wei by the incarnadine states
man, but the geography, the constitu-
ton and the census are against him.
Naturally Hayes would prefer to have
portion Of san Francisco in his dis
trict Not the least important portion
Of his organization is north Of the San
Francisco-San AIateo county line The
erection Of a new district with Santa
Clara county as the base and with San
MateO and san Francisco eliminated
VIII involve on the part of Hayes the
erection Of new congressional ma
chine. That, in turn. involves the ex-
penditure Of time and money.
REAPPORTIONMENT Is SAD
Reapportionment is always an un-
happy business for the men who have
fixed up nice little district machines
for themselves and also for the legis-
lators. who may be asked not only to
tear up their own districts. but perhaps
20 legislate themselves out Of office
The reapportionment committees Of
the legislature viii have several little
things 10 claim their earnest attention
besides keeping Lissner's promise to
make the Los Angeles tail wag the
California dog.
Incidentally the failure Of the unoff-
cial apportionment committee TO meet
and prepare a bill for the approval
OF the chairman of the state central
committee, is not a singular feature A
majority Of the committees named at
that momentous meeting of the eexcu-
tive comittee and ordered TO report on
or before Deceber Is. have not met.
The signs Of the times indicate that
II any reports are made on behalf of
big majority Of those committees, they
VIII be reports OF progress.
The change Of date for the legislative
conference TO be held in san Francisco
has not resulted in a call to arms. In
deed, there appears TO be no disposition
10 excitement about the conference on
The part of the legislators summoned to
confer They appear to be about as
deeply interested in that conference as
they were I'm the appointment Of the
special committees which thev said
they would not summon to meet nor
attend if others summoned them to
meet
FROST Il PREDICTED
Some OF the up country legislators
and legislators elect are Offering to
wager hats. shoes, scarfs and cigars
in small quantities. that the San Fran
cisco conference viii be a frost that
viii not nip the toes of many law
makers. On the other hand. there are
some Of the northern legislators who
are of the opinion that they can get the
organization program by attending the
san Francisco pOwwow. There are vet
others who have no intention of at
tending but who could not be kept
away if they believed that they could
drop in on a programming job and stir
Up bit Of a ructiOn.
Apparently the men who hope to
serve the senate as officers and chief
attaches are so impressed with the
idea that the slate is SO be put by the
Los Angeles party managers that they
Aviation Meet at Fresno
For this occasion one and one-third