The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-09-22
OF CENSUS
Is Likely To Be Important
On The Representation
In Congress
new APP0RTI0NMANTD DUE
If Democrats Control House They will
Resist Efforts to Have Change Made
BY Present Republican Majority Re-
pubIicans viii Try to Make Reap
portionment While In Power.


portionment While In Power.
Washington, Sept. 19.-One of the
first questions with which the APP
preaching session of Congress will be
called upon to grapple will be to de-
termine when the next apportionment
of members of the House of Represen-
tatives under the recent census shall
be made.
While it is not actually required by
the Constitution that instrument i'm
plies that a reapportionment shall fol-
low each decennial enumeration of the
people, and accordingly a redistribu-
ton of seats in the House membership
has taken place hitherto soon after
the conclusion of each census.
Before the time for the meeting of
Congress the result Of the November
elections will have become known.
The November Elections.
If the Democrats should come into
control of the House for the card
Congress they would naturally resist
any effsrt to have the change made
by the present Republican Congress,
while the Republicans would be as
anxious to have the service perform
ed while they were in control of leg
islation in both Houses.
Apportionment in itself can be used
for party advantage only through the
mar oulation of population fractions
in various States. If the present
day an of fixing upon definite num-
Der of members as the first step in
the distribution is followed many
States will be found to have a consid
cradle numbeT of citizens over the
number necessary to give them the
number of members assigned them.
Size OF the House.
The size of the House once deter
mined, the representation 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 inevitably there en-
sues upon each OF such divisions a e
mainder, large or small. Aside frC1l
arbitrarily fixing the representatic. i
on the voting rather than the actual
population, this remainder, or frac-
ton, affords the only base of manipu
lation of the apportionment of MEM
bers.
If used to the extreme it might be
an important factor as no fewer than
20 representatives now hold their
seats on fractions.
In Accordance With Laws.
That they should do so is strictly
in accordance with the law which pro-
vides that, any deficiency occurring
on an even division shall be supplied
from the States having the largest re-
mainders on the division.
If that policy should be accepted
in the approaching apportionment it
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 under
stand that when the figures are made
public some of the smaller Eastern
States will be found to have failed to
keep pace in growth with some of their
larger neighbors and with many of
the Western States.
Hold the Ratio Down.
If, therefore, they are to be protect
ed against loss of representation in
the House it will probably be neces
sary to hold the ratio down to some
thing like the present basis OF to dis
criminate in favor of the smaller
States.
The first apportionment made by the
Constitution itself provided for one
member to every 10000 inhabitants
with the result that at its first session
THE House contained only 60 members
The census of 1890 resulted in an in
crease to 105 with $4,000 as the basis
of representation.
From that time forth with one eX-
ception the increase both in represent
tation and ratio has been steady, as
follows:
Increase Is Steady.
1900, 141 members with ratio of
$4,000; 1910, 1S1 members and ratio of
, $4,000; 1920, 213 members and ratio
of 10000; 1880, 240 members and ratio
of 47,7OO; 1910, 223 members and ra-
ito of 7O,6SO; 1850, 233 members and
ratio of 9S,42S; 1860, 243 members and
ratio of 1881; 1870, 293 members
and ratio of 1S1, 425; 1880, 1926 MEM
bers and ratio of 15l,911: 1890, 1856
members and ratio of 179,9O1; 1900,
$50 members and ratio of 193,167
The old leaders of the House are
anxious TO keep the size of the House
down and few of them will admit the
possibility of an enlargement to be-
yond 400 or 410 at the utmost.
Negro Disfranchisement.
The question of the disfranchisement
of the negro vote in the Southern
c.o.no NTH ,ooo;,,o ottantion IN pOpA