The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-20

WASHINGTON, Sept. I9.-One of the
first questions which the approaching
session OF congress Will be called upon
TO grappe with will be 10 determine
when the next apportionment OF members
OF the house OF representatives under the
recent census shall be made.
The constitution requires that re-
apportionment shall follow each deccnnial
enumeration of the people, and, accord
ingly. a redistribution OF seats In the
house membership has taken place
hitherto soon after the conclusion OF each
census.
Up TO 1890 the reapportionment was
uniformly postponed until the first ses-
sion of the congress succeeding the emu
meration. but after the eleventh census
a change was made. and the apportion-
ment bills for the eleventh and twelfth
census were brought In and passed, In
each case. during the short session OF the
current congress Immediately following
the census. II will rest with the ap-
proa ching session 10 determine whether
IL shall follow the old or the new prece-
dent, Politics may determine the choice.
Before the time for the meeting of
tons viii have become known. II the
Democrats should come into control OF
the house FOR the SiNty-third congress,
they would naturally resist any effort TO
have the change made by the presen.
Republican congress. while the Republi~
cans would be as anxious to have the
service performed while they were in
control Of legislation in both houses.
Chance for Manipulation.
Apportionment in itself can be used for
party advantage only through the manip
ulation of population fractions in the
various states. II the present day plan
Of fixing upon definite number Of mem
bers as the first step in the distribu-
10 have a considerable number OF citi-
zens over the number necessary TO give
them the number OF members assigned
them. The size of the house once de-
termined, 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 di-
v!ding the population OF any given state
by the auotient thus obtained Almost
inevitably there ensucs upon each Of such
divisions a remainder. large or small.
Aside from arbitrarily fixing the repre-
sentatiop on the voting rather than the
| actual population, this remainder or frac
tion. affords the only base OF manipu-
lation of the apportonment OF members.
II used to the extreme IL might be an
important factor as no fewer than TWEEN
ty-three representatives now hold their
seats on fractions. That they should do
so is strictly I'm accordance with the law
which provides that. any deficiency oc-
curing on an even division shall be sup
pied from the states having the largest
rcmainderS on the division. This rule
was strictly followed in the last appoT-
tionment in all allotments except those
made to Maine and Nebraska. In both
these states congress exercised somewhat
arbitrary power by giving each n repre-
sentative on iticllOn less lnan lbr
fractions OF other states which received
nothing because Of their own fragments.
This action was taken TO prevent the
loss of representation by any state.
Problem for Experts.
II that policy should be accepted in
the approaching apportionmeni 1t could
upset the plans OF some OF the house
leaders who are most anxious to avoid
any appreciable increase in the size OF
the house. The census experts already
understand 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 ther
| larger neighbors and with many of. the
! western states. IT, therefore. they are to
| be protected against loss of representa-
| tion in the house II viii probably ba
| necessary to hold the ratio down to some
thing like the present bas. or TO dis.
| criminatc in favor of the smaller states.
\ loss OF membership would he by no
| means "a new experience 10 many of tho
states, In the first aDportonmcDt, made
after the census of 1870. when the house
numbered. all told. only 'C5 members
| Virginia was given i9, or almost one.
! hfth OF the entire membership. and In
| 1900 that number was increased to %.
| Then there was gradual falling away
| until 1870, when there were only nine
members from that state. Since then
| there has been a gain OF one.
Barring the first apportionment. Con-
ncctcut began with Z members and now
| has ,. Maryland has been reduced from
| 10 6. and New Hampshire from TO ..
Vermont, which In 1910 had members,
now has .. while Maine. with S in 1890.
has been reduced to f. Massachusetts
has the samo number with which sls
started I'm 1890 In 1900 the number was
increased 10 Il, but by the ncxt appor-
tionmcnt it had fallen 10 IS. and the
original figure OF ~ was not regained
until 1900
After Virginia and Massachusetts.