Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-02-14
Will INCREASE NUMBER
OF MEMBERS S|XTY-S|X
(By SIDN EY EsPEY1

Washington, Feb. 14.-(Special.)-l
Officials OF the United States Gems
US Bureau believe the approaching
thirteenth census will disclose pop
ulauoni the United States. proper.
OF approximately SS,00O,OOO Should
Congress adopt the same ratio for
Congressional representation as that
used for appOrtionment after the
twelfth census-that is one repre-
sentative for each 1874, 1872 population
the House OF Representatives will
then have 457 members, exclusive of
territorial delegates. This would be
an Increase over the present number
OF &C.
Section 2, article ! OF the Constitu-
ton of the Untee States provides
the Representatives and direct taxes
shall be apportioned among the sew
eral states which may be included
in this union, according TO their
respective numbers. The first Gems
US taken in 1890. and others every
ten years thereafter for the purpose
OF apporuoning the Representatives
in Congress
The House OF Representatives is
thought by many TO be already too
large and unweildy for quick dis
patch OF legislative business. In ad-
dition OF &C new members would un-
doubtedly render IL still more cum
bersome. The question therefore. to
be be decided by Congress is: VIII
the House agree to any apportion-
ment that viii reduce its member
ship? Judging from past perform
ances it will not. 1t would be diff
ficult TO discover a single Congress
man who would be willing 10 legis-
late himself out OF a job; hence
there will be, 1t is believed no eff
fort in the House to increase the
number OF population OF each Con-
gressional district thus reducing the
number OF sats in the House AS for
the Senators, the census will have no
effect on their number. there are be-
Ing two from each state, irrespec-
tive OF the size OF population OF the
different commemorative, New York
having the same number as tiny
Rhode Island
Census officials believe that Con-
gress will make the apportionment
according to the present apportion-
ment, or possibly fix the population
OF each Congressional district at a
round 100000 a slight increase
Those States which have increased
n POPULATION OF them enormously
since the last census, will gain in
number OF Representatives while the
States whose population has remain
ed stationary, or practically so, those
having a slight increase, will have
proportionately smaller increases in
the number OF their representatives.
II 100000 is decided on as the ratio.
then Congress would have 44O rep
resentatives. Oflcials OF the Census
Bureau believe would have not show
single decrease in a single state.
and while some Of the States will
have much a larger number OF rep
resentatives than now, no State Will
have its quota in Congress reduced.
Assuming that the same IappOr-
tionment number, 194182 as at pre-
sent, will be fixed as the basis for
representation by Congress, the
States that will gain additional rep
resentatives in Congress, the States
that will gain additional representa-
tives in Congress are many. These
will be with the probable increase in
representation: New York. 0: Penn
sylvania s; Illinois 3 Texas and
Oklahoma each will gain 3. and
Alabama California, Georgia. In
diana, Massachusetts. Michigan. Min
nesota, Missouri. New Jersey. Tenn