The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-12-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Special to THE CITIZEN.

special TO lItb Oll lDbN'
Washington, December 20 Re-
publican leaders of the House are
still far from a solution of the con-
gressional apportionment problem
presented by the increase in popula-
tion disclosed by the recent census.
So far they have been unable to
hit upon an apportionment system
which would restrict the House to
its present membership of 391. If
the 1900 basis of apportionment, a
population of 1873. .175, were adopted
the bill establishing it would be de-
feated by the votes of delegations
from states of the south and west
which would suffer a reduction of
representation. 1t, therefore, ap-
pears certain that the House in the
next Congress will be the largest
numerically in the history of the
country The present plan is to linn
it the membership to as near 400
members as possible. Any plan that
will be acceptable to a majority of
the House will provide Pennsylvania
with increased representation. The
lowest estimate gives the Keystone
State "a members, an increase of
two over it's present numerical
strength.
Not since the apportionment bas-
ed upon the figures of the third
census in 1910 has Pennsylvania
representation fallen below twenty
| three At that the membership of
| the entire House was only 1S6. The
! Keystones states representation
! from that year steadily increased.
The census of 1880, 1890, and 1900
each gave Pennsylvania two addi-
! tional members. The states re-
markable increase in population is
emphasized by a report prepared by
! the House Census Committee pre-
senting the representation of all of
the states since the constitutional
apportionment. 1t shows that Vir-
ginia, for example, under the first
census, taken in 1890, had nineteen
members and Pennsylvania only 13.
BY the census of 1910 Pennsylvania
and Virginia each had twenty-three
and since that census Virginia's
representation has decreased until
it now is less than one-third that of
the Keystone state Pennsylvania S
increase in population during the
past ten years has been such that if
the basis of representation in the
present congress were adopted as
the basis of representation in the
next Congress the state would have
membership in the House of at
least thirty-nine.
The newspaper dispatches sent
out from Washington stating that
the nomination of Judge Robert w
Archibald, of Pennsylvania, to be a
member of the new Commerce Court
would be rejected by the Senate
ht~rp IL a oil. arsg
who know better. Not a protest
against Judge Archbald's appoint
ment has been received at either the
White House or by the Senate Judi.
ciary Committee, to which body il
has been referred. President Taft
is personally acquainted with Judge
Archibald and when Senator Penrose
suggested his name Mr.. Taft readily
agreed to appoint him. 1t is under
stood that Attorney General Wick
ersham Joined with Senator Penrose
in cordially indorsing the Pennsyl
vania jurist for membership in the
new tribunal. Members of the Ju.
dietary Committee say that Judge
Archbald's nomination will be con
firmed without objection from any
source.
Governor-elect John X. Tener is a
very busy man. Nearly every poll,
tician in Pennsylvania who desires
an office under the next state ad-
ministration has been to Washing
ton to see him and when not engag-
ed with these visitors and his con-
gressional duties he works on his in
augural address. Mr.. Tener has not
sent his resignation as a member OF
Congress to Governor Stuart and
probably, will not until a few days
before he leaves Washington for
Harrisburg to be inaugurated.