The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-01-26

election of United States DSoaAorH
would relieve them Of great embar-
rassment and possible political diBas
ter. Indiana Democrats nominated
John w. Kern and before this lettar
can be printed he viii in all proba
billty be elected without opposition.
But in the neighboring state Of Ohio
no nomination was made. Nobody
can tell at this moment who may be
the next Ohio senator; everybody In
Washington who observes politics ap- |
prehends that the selection may be an
unfit one.
Democracy breads Tammany Senator.
1t is curious to find In almost all
the states which the Democratic party
has carried, senatorial contests which
may put the party future in serious
jeopardy. This is peculiarly true OF
New York. In that Empire state the
election of a senator at the behest Of
Boss Murphy of Tammany would be
disaster to the Democratic party Of
the nation. But Tammany does not
lot many things get away from its
clutch and there Is little question Of
its eagerness to control the next SEN
atorship. Even at that, as South,
ern senator said to me. "a Tammany
senator would not be materially
worse than Vanderbilt senator. And
New York has had Vanderbilt SEN
ator for long years past" He referred
of course to Chauncey Depew. whose
period of service as the senatorial
representative Of the New York Cen
trail lines now approaches its conclu
sion. Nevertheless there is a feeling
here that a machine made senator
from New York would be a disaster
and a grief to the Democracy Of the
nation.
Washington FaVors Judge Parker.
II the view Of the Democrats, and
for that matter Of the Republicans.
with whom l have talked, could be
set forth in full, they would be to the
effect that Judge Alton B. Parker is
the most At Democrat to represent
New York In the United States sem
ate. When one recalls how the Dem
ocratic party deserted Parker in 1904
the feeling Of friendship manifested
for him in Washington is amazing.
OF course Washington opinion Is not
always trustworthy and may not ex-
press the views of the electorate, but
at this moment among public men
Judge Parker is looked upon with gen.
uine admiration and respect. HIS
election to the senate would be hailed
with real enthusiasm and his insist
ence that he cannot be a candidate
Is noted with sincere regret.
Talk Of ReapportIonment.
There is an element of humor about
the varying propositions for the con-
gressional re-apportionment which
must be made at this short session as
a result of the new census. Until tho
recent election showed a tendency on
the part of the country toward the
Democratic party the Republicans who
still control the government were
very certain that the present house
of representatives with 391 members
was unWleldly and too large to be a
true deliberative body. When the elec-
tions gave to the Democrats a ma
iority in the house of sixty-fiVe the Re-
publican politicians stopped to con-
slider. AS the population returns came
! in from the census bureau they dis
covered that any material increase in
the ratio of apportionment would re-
suit in a heavy loss Of congressman
from those eastern and middle west
tern states which have always been
distinctly Republican. Vermont and
New Hampshire would lose, so too
would Kansas and Iowa, so that 1t is
not a sectional proposition, but pure
ly a political one. Today there is one
congressman to every $4,000 people.
II the number Of representatives were
maintained at 391 1t would be prac'
tically one to every 265.000. On dis
covering this fact the committee on
census. eleven, of whom come from
states which would lose one or more
representatives, each, concluded that
after all the house of representatives
was not too large, and the committee
recommendation to the house is to
he that the membership be increased
to 435 members That will be one
member to each 211,700 people. OF
course this sudden change of front
on the part of the dominant party
awakens a little merriment on the
mart of the recently minority party.
Nevertheless there is no serious criti-
cism of it, Certainly to represent
211,700 people in congress is a sutti-
cient task for any one man. To rep
resent as was suggested 265,0O0 peo.
nile would be an impossibility. While
the Democrats may seek to make
some capital out of the Republican
change of front do not believe there
will be any serious opposition to the
annortionment as Mr.. Crumpackcr
chairman of the committee, has now
nlanned it. Furthermore there will
ha no loss VI oOobo " uAy otdIOo
whatever it's politics, and precedent
is set which in the future may be Of
advantage to either party. The mere
fact that this year the losses in popu.
lation, or the failure to Increase in
population occurred altogether in
rockribbed Republican states was due
to certain economic conditions and
not to political conditions. Ten years
from now this situation might be re
verscd and it Is w-ll according even
to the ideas Of the Democratic lead
ers that no precedent shall be set by
which state shall be deprived of any
part of the representation 1t has had
Copyright. 1911. by Joseph B. Bowles.l