The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-04
ReappOrtiOnment Bill Will
Cause Hard Fighting
OPINIONS ARE WIDE APART
Speaker Cannon Wants No Change at
All While All Members Whose
States VIII Lose Want
an Increase
BY wATTERsoN sTEALEy

BY WATTERS0N STEALEY
Washington, February 3.-(Special)-
There are small prospects for the enact
ment of 391 reapportionment measure
by Congress. That it will be 433 or moth
ing is the trend of belief at the capitol.
The republican caucus bill will have hard
shedding in the House, and, if It is passed
by that body, senator's from those states
which lose congressman under it may feel
constrained to block its passage. This
would be an unusual course, as it has
been the custom of the Senate to pass
without quetsion any reapportionment
measure indorsed by the House.
The Senate has usually declared that
the reapportionment question is one more
closely affecting the House, thus yielding
to that body's decision. Several sena-
tors who discussed the matter today in
dicated that this custom may not be fol-
lowed this time.
Senator Bradley of Kentucky said he
would vigorously oppose his states los
ing member and intimated rather plain
ly that he would assume the role of a fill
ibuster before consenting to the bill
becoming law.
About one-third of the republicans OF
the House refrained from attending the
caucus last night, and some of those
present, like Mr.. Langley of Kentucky,
who is committed to the original Crum-
packer plan for an increase in the House
membership to 433, bolted the caucus
before the final vote was taken in favor
of 391 members, SO as not to be commit
ted to that scheme. When he walked
out of the caucus Mr.. Langley declared
that he would not support any plan of
reapportionment by which his state OF
any other state is to have her present
representation reduced. Other republic
ans slipped out of the caucus for the
same reason.
Republicans from Maine, Kentucky,
North Carolina Iowa, Kansas, Indiana,
and number of other states affected by
the plan to hold the membership down to
391 are very much dissatisfied today by
the action taken In the caucus, because
they do not want their representation cut
down, as it would be through the adop-
ton of the republican caucus plan
These republicans have been sounding
democrats all day to ascertain whether
the minority would vote soldly for a, bill
fixing the membership at 433 IL sufficient
republican votes are supplied to carry the
protect while dt faltthe two canca's o'aH
There lis some, divergence of opinion
amond Individual democrats as to what
democrats are now inclined to favor the
plan for a House large enough to hold
intact the size of the delegations from
the states now threatened with loss OF
seats.
There Is probability that there will be
votes enough through coalition between
democrats and dissatisfied republicans to
force the passage of the original Crum-
packer plan for 43s members. Under the
caucus plan Maine would lose member
and retain only three of the four seats
she now holds. Mr.. Burleigh of Maine
Is strongly opposed to any plan that will
rob Maine of a seat. When this same
thing was tried 10 years ago Mr.. Bur-
leigh offered a substitute plan, the adop-
tion of which he forced, by which Maine
saved all four of her seats.
Speaker Cannon Is not in favor of any
reapportionment at this time If bill
has to be passed he wants it to provide
for House of 397 members. This would
be an increase of six members for the
House but would save Illinois her pres
ent delegation of 25 members. If tnis
plan were adopted 1t would not be nee
essary to redstrict the state. 1t is be-
lieved that he is afraid that If the state
has her representation reduced a single
member, thereby requiring the legislature
to redistrict the state, the legislature
will fail to do the rcdistricting required
by law in which event the congressman
from Illinois will all have to be elected
at large and that the democratic vote
in Chicago would swing the state toward
a democratic delegation in the House.
Representative Bennet of New York,
who last night injected the subject of
reduction of southern representation into
the caucus, in the hope of preventing &C
tion at this session, intended to make a
similar play for the negro vote on the
floor. His proposition was defeated last
night by a vote of to l and having
failed there he will bring the matter for
ward and press it in the open house in
the hope of precipitating a debate that
will result in the postponement of the
whole question until the next Congress.
The first step in this direction was
taken by Mr.. Bennett today when he
introduced a bill providing that the House
shall consist CT 397 members, just enough
to save Illinois. Mr.. Bennett urges in
this bill his plea for reduction in south
ern representation, y providing that
where citizens have teen disfranchised
their numbers shall be subtracted from
the total reaprortionment population of
the country and that the House shall
then consist of 397 members, to be dis
tributed among the states according to
their population as shown to exist after
the disfranchised citizens have been elm
mated from the computations.
Under the Bennett plan this would al.
be worked out under the direction of the
Secretary of Commerce and Labor and
the S97 members distributed among the
states 1t is plan Under which the
southern states would lose representa-
tion to the extent that the negro is dis
franchised.
There is not a possibility OF the Ben
NET nlan carving The democratic side
will, of course, vote solidly against it
and the votes in last nights caucus show
that the republicans are to / agains6
reduction in representation on account
of disfranchisement.
THE WEATHER