Evening journal., 1910-12-05
CONGRESS DOWN
TO WORK AGAIN
continued from Second Page.)

the chance would be slight If there
be any at all.
Objection to the bill which will be
pressed to the limit, will have the
backing of scores OF Senators and
Representatives. This contention Is
that conditions in this country are so
different from those in Europe that
the English and French schemes
would be imp-acticable.
A more serious protest is based on
the claim that the adoption of the Cen
tral Bank plan would throw complete
control of the business Of the country
into the hands of few men in Wall
street. 1t is suggested. too that those
men in the operation of great trusts,
financial institutions and railroads,
have toiled not for the benefit OF the
people, but at their expense. The ap-
pearance of the Aldrich bill would
be the signal for one of the greatest
struggles in the history of Congress.
Apportionment is a matter of poll
tics. Il can be used to have an Inn
portant effect on party strength ana Is
therefore a fit issue for strenuous con-
tentiou. In some cases IL touches state
pride and of course that impels SEN
D
ators and Representatives from those
states to reach for their war paint.
In the natural course of events the
number Of Representative for the
next ten years. based on the new ecu
sus. would be decided by Conrgess at
the present session. Action would be
preceded by computations by the
shrewdest party strategists TO deter
mine what number of people per con-
gressman would produce the largest
proportion OF Republicans. No body
/ knows better than the Democrats the
advantage of this apportioning priyi-
lege and they are relied upon to do
everything possible to block action
until the next Congress. A Democratic
House would then work out the prob
lem with Republican Senate and the
former would be able to protect their
interests.
During the past ten years the House
has had 391 members, each repre-
senting 193.167 people. In the pre-
ceding ten years there were $50 Con-
gressmen, each representing l73SOl
OF the population If the present nun
Der of members should be retained the
ratio would be raised to an extent that
would cause q number Of states TO
lose some representatives. The pain-
ful operation would be borne by none
lof those states without heroic resist
lance. II the number of members should
be reduced the losses Of the slow
g-owing states would be larger and
their protests much louder. Many
members contend that the House
with S91 representatives is now too
large to be a deliberative body and Is
forced to do its work through COM
(, mittees and accept their recommen-
dations. Census Director Durand, will
prepare for the use of Congress sta
tistics showing the proportion of pop
! ulation TO House membership rang
ing from $50 t, s75.
, Some of the Legislation.
An array of bills 10 he considered
and some of them to be fought over
relate to:
The Panama Canal.
Federal incorporation.
Ship subsidy.
Issuing OF injunctions
Conservation.
Locomotive boiler inspection.
: Alaska, form of COVE 'nment. natura
resources and railroads.
l. Bureau of Public Health.
Cold storage law.
All of these subjects. except colo
storage. will in all probability be dis
3 lcussed in the Presidents annual mes
sage. AS TO the Panama Canal, Con
gress will be called upon to consider
the question of Notifications and thu
form of permanent government in the
canal zone. II is probable that a large
majority of Congress joins with the
President in favoring the guarding OF
the canal and Taft will undoubtedly
call for an appropriation for that pur-