Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-28
LEGISLATURES GIVEN CONTROL
State Lawmakers to Rearrange Dis
triots in Respective States.
REPUBLICANS WOULD AMEND IT
Two Changes Are Vigorously Cham
pioned by Republicans.
MISSOURI CONDITIONS DEBATED
Increase in Size of House Agreed to
by Members of Both PARTIES,
but Many RepubIicans
object.

WASHINGTON. April H.-A bill pro-
viding for the enlargement of the national
house Of representatives from s91 TO 43a
members and the appointment OF these
members to the different states on the
basis of the population shown by the
recent federal census passed the house
carly this evening after vain efforts of
members OF both political parties to amend
II in important particulars
The proposed size Of the house is identi-
cal with that provided In the Crumpacker
bill. passed by the house at the last ses-
sion of congress. but not acted upon by
the senate. The Houston bill. passed today,
leaves to the legislatures of tho different
states the power to re-arrange the congress
sional districts in their respective states
on the new population basis of one mem
ber for each 2l1.S .ST7 inhabitants.
The two important amendments proposed
today and defeated after long debate. were
to put the redistrioting power in the hands
of the governors of the states when the
Legislature had failed to act. and to limit
the house in the future to a membership
of 4S0 or 49, leaving future reapportion-
ments to the secretary Of the department
OF vommerce and labor.
Republicans champion Amendment.
pioned by the republicans and had some
democratic supporters Mr.. Sherley of
Kentucky first offered the "CrumpaclSer
amendment" as It was known to restrict
the size of the house to 4SO in the future
and later Mr.. Crumpacker submitted it
again as a part Of formal motion to re-
commit the bill to the committee on CEN
sus to have the amendment put into 1t,
On erecord vote on this motion the demo-
Gratis voted 1t down, 17S to 30.
The amendment offered earlier by Mr..
Crumpacker, formerly the republican
chairman OF the committee on census
has charge OF reapportionment. to give the
governors Of states power to carry out the
rearrangement OF congressional districts
was declared by Mr.. Hamlin OF Missouri.
democrat to be a deliberate effort of re-
publican politicians of Missouri to give the
republican governor of that safe power to
make up the new districts so that republi-
can diatricts might be constructed by
"serryInandering methods"
Conditions I'm Missouri Discussed.
Mr. Hamhn said that with the Crum-
packer amendment as a part Of the bill.
the republican governor OF Missouri could
veto the reapportionment made by the
democratic legislature and then could carry
out the reapporuonment himself.
Mr.. Bartholdt, republican. also from Mis-
souri,. challenged this statement and as
serted that the last democratic legislature
that reapportioned the congressional dis
trlcts of Missouri had violated the federal
Statutes by making the districts OF greatly
varying size.
The increase in the size of the house was
agreed 10 by members of both parties, but
many republicans objected to It on the
ground that 1t would make the house more
unwieldy, Insurgent republicans wers par
tioularly vigorous in opposing the increase,
declaring that II 1t were not for the de-
mands OF those states that would other
wise lose members there would be gem
eral sentiment In favor OF keeping the
membershipsat the present size of Ssl