Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-09-20
DELICATE JOB
CONFRONTS
HOUSE
REINFORCEMENT OF
MEMBERS MUST BE MADE
Number Of Representatives
Must Be Increased or Smaller
Eastern States Sacrifice Por-
ton of Their Strength,
lBy Morning journal special Leased Wiz.

lBy Morning journal Special Leased Wirel
Washington, Sept. f9.-One of the
first questions with which the mp
preaching session Of congress will be
called upon to grapple viii be to de-
! termine when the next ap%portionment
| Of members of the house of represent
atives under the recen census shall
| be made.
The constitution requires that a re-
apportiOnment shah follow each de-
cennial enumeration Of the people,
and accordingly a redistribution of
seats in the house membership has
taken place hitherto Dor after the
conclusion Of each census,
Up to 1890 the reapportlonment was
uniformly postponed until the first
session of the congress succeeding the
enumeration, but after the eleventh
census a change was made and the APP
"portionment bills for the eleventh and
twelfth census were brought in and
passed in zach case during the short
session of the current congress imme-
diately following the census. 1t Will
rest with the approaching session to
determine whether 1t shall follow the
old or the new precedent. Politics
may determine the choice.
Before the time for the meeting Of
congress the result OF the November
elections viii have become known. If
the democrats should come into con
troll Of the house for the ~sixty-third
congress they would naturally resist
any effort to have the change made
by the present republican congress,
while the republicans would be as
anxious to have the service performed
While they were IN control of lcgisla-
ton in both houses.
Apportionment in itself can be used
for party advantage only through the
manipulation of population fractions
In the various states. If the present
day plan of fixing upon a definite
number of members as the first step
I'm the distribution is followed many
viii be found to have a consid-
cradle number of citizens over the
number necessary to give them the
number of members assigned them.
The size Of the house once determined
the representation of each state is ar
at by dividing the aggregate
population of the country by the total
membership of the house and then di-
viding the population of any given
by the quotiont thus obtained.
Almost inevitably there ensues upon
each of such divisions a remainder,
or small Aside from arbitrar-
lily fixing the representation on the
voting rather than the actual popula-
ton, this remainder, or fraction, at
the only base of manipulation of
apportionment of members.
If used to the extreme II might be |
an important factor as no fewer than
lwenty-threc representatives now hold /
seat on fractions. That they
should do SO is strictly in accordance
with the law which provides that any
deficiency occurring on an even di-
vision shall be supplied from the
states having the largest remainders
)n the division. This rule was strictly |
IN the last apportionment In
al allotments except those made to
Maine and Nebraska. In boil those
congress exercised somewhat
arbitrary power by giving each a rep
'esentative on a fraction less thar the
of other states which re-
'eiNed nothing because of their oWn
fragments. This action was taken to
tho loss OF representation by
state.
II that policy should be accepted In
approaching apportionment 1t
'ould upset the plans of some of the
lotisc leaders who are most anxious
~ ANNAN any diNNi NNAANiN liiAA Aio ~ i
he size of the house. The census cX-
iorts already understand hat when
he figures are made public some of
he smaller eastern states viii be
pund to have failed TO keep pace
n growth with some of their larger
.cighbors and with many of the west
rn states. II, therefore, they are to
be- protected against loss of represcn-
alton In the house IL will probably
.c necessary to hold the ratio down
% something like the present basis or
ID discriminate i'm favor of the small
er states.
4 loss of membership would be 10y
.n means q new experience to many of
he states. In the first apportion-
lcnt. made after the census OF 1890.
hen the housc numbered all told
Inly t06 members. Virginia vas given
~ or almost unc-titth of the entire
membership. and in 1900 that number
increased to %. Then there was
gradual falling away until 1870. =,
then there were only 9 members 4
rom that state. since then there has
"A gain of one. ,
Barring the first apportionmeut,
connecticut began with members
nd now has o.. Maryland has been
cduved from 20 6. and New Hamp-
hire from 4 TO D.. Vermont. which
b 1910 had g members, now la .,
lille Maine with $ in 1870 has been
to 4. Massachusetts has the
imV number with which she started
10 1870 In 1880 the number was in ,
reased TO H.. but bs the next appor- {
[ had fallen Co IS. and the q
figure of IL was not regained y
ntil 1909. /
After Virginia and Massachusetts,.
pennsylvania. with ~ members. had S
he areest representation Ia the $
in 1890. New York and North
arnlina followed with 10 each. The
state never rose above 10. but
be- former has gone as high as 90, I
hlch figure was attained under the {
Dportloumcnt nf 1850 and is tho larE- D
20 representation any state ever has =
AFTER 1880 the New York repre-
,utHtiou feu 10 81 Ia 1850. since q
% has been rising gradually until =
10 d. 81 Penusy lvania's present q
lumber of 30 Is the lareest ever m
hy that state From the first Z
'nsus to the present Rhode Island. "a
ith her Two capitals aud double c
lmc has heen uniformly represented
40 members durinE the decade OF
,lo-iS2o. btu otherwise has had but n
ne m the house ed ana time. 3
The first apporuoument made hy n
constitution itself provided Tor one n
Go every 80. ooo inhabitants "