The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-09-20
Old Members Will Oppose
Effort to Increase Mem
bership Above 40.

| approaching session of congress will
| be called upon to grapple will be to
determine when the next apportion-
ment of members of the House of
Representatives under the recent CEN
sus will be made.
| The constitution requires that a
reapportionment shall follow each
decennial enumeration of the people,
and accordingly a redistribution of
seats in the house membership has
taken place heretofore soon after the
conclusion of each census.
Up to 1891 the reapportionment
was uniformly postponed until the
first session of the congress succeed
ing the enumeration, but after the
18th census a change was made and
the apportionment bills for the 18th
and 18th census were brought in
and passed in each case during the
short session of the current congress
Immediately following the census
/ 1t will rest with the approaching ses-
sion to determine whether it shall
follow the old or the new precedent.
Politicians may determine the choice
Before the time for the meeting
of congress the result of the Novem-
Der elections will have become
known. If the democrats should
come into control of the house for
the 63rd congress they would natur-
ally resist any effort to have the
change made by the present republi-
can congress; while the republicans
would be as anxious to have the SER
vice 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 popula-
| ton fractions in the various states.
If the present day plan of fixing
upon a definate number of members
as the first step in the distribution
is followed many states will be found
to have a considerable number of
citizens over the number of mem
bers assigned them. The size of the
house once determined. the represen-
tation of each state is arrived at by
dividing the aggregate population of
! the country by the total membership
! of the house and then dividing the
population of any given state by the
quotient thus obtained. Almost in
evitably there ensues upon each of
such divisions remainder, large or
small. Aside from arbitrarily fixing
the representation on the voting
rather than the actual population.
this remainder, or fraction, affords
the only base of manipulation of the
apportionment of members.
If used to the extreme it might be
% representatives now hold their
seats on fractions. That they should
do so is strictly in accordance with
the law which provides that any de-
ficency occurring on an even division
shall be supplied from the states
having the largest remainders on the
division. This rule was strictly fol-
lowed in the last appor'ionment in
all allotments except those of Maine
and Nebraska. In both those states
congress exercised somewhat arbi-
trary power by giving each repre-
sentative on fraction less than the
fractions of other states which re-
ceived nothing because of their own
fragments. This action was taken
to prevent the loss of representation
by any state.
If that policy should be accepted
in the approaching apportionment il
could upset the plans of some of the
house leaders who are most anxious
to avoid any appreciate increase in
the size of the house The census
experts already understand thai
when the figures are made public
some of the smaller eastern states
will be found to have failed to keeI
pace in growth with some of theil
larger neighbors and with many o.
the western states. If, therefore
they are to be protected against loss
of representation in the house it vii
probably be necessary to hold thu
ratio down to something like the
present basis or to discriminate il
favor of the smaller states.
A loss of membership would be b!
no means a new experience to man!
states. In the first apportionment
made after the census of 1890, wheI
the house numbered, all told, onl,
1O5 members, Virginia was given 10
or almost one-fifth of the entire
membership, and in 1900 that mum
Der was increased to %. Then there
was a gradual falling away unit
1870, when there were only nine
members from that state. Since
then there has been gain of one.
Barring the first apportionment
Connecticut began with member
and now has 5. Maryland has beer
reduced from to and New Hamp
shire from 4 to 2. Vermont, which
in 1910 had six members now ha