New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-11-05
NEW BASIS DUE
FOR THE HOUSE
APPoRTioNMENT BILL WILL BE
PREPARED WHEN COMMITTEE
GETS CENSUS FIGURES.
THESE ARE NEARLY COMPLETE
Congress Will Discuss Changing the
Number Of Representatives and Also
the Old Time Issue of Southern
Representation.
BY JAMES p.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.
Washington.-The bureau of the CEN
sus has promised to supply the commit
tee on the census of the house of rep
resentatives with the complete 1920
population figures for the United
States soon after congress reconvenes
In December. With these statistics in
hand the committee will prepare a bill
for a new house of representatives APP
pOrtionment. Under Il provision of the
federal Constitution this apportion-
e must be made every ten years
Immediately following the decennial
census.
1t will be incumbent on the various
state legislatures to reapportion the
states for congressional purposes in
accordance with the basis of represen-
tatiOn fixed by congress-. About 10 per
cent of the state legislatures will meet
next January and congress will agree
on the new basis of representation in
time to enable the legislatures to make
the state reapportionments before
their sessions.
Two questions will present them
selves to the federal legislators in
dealing with the subject. The first
and the really important one will be
whether the size of the house of rep
resentatives shall be changed. Under
the 1910 apportionment the house of
representatives is made up of 435
members. The membership is so large
as to make the body unwieldy and II
is reasonably certain that there will
be argument put forth In favor of re-
ducing the membership 10 about 400.
On the other hand there are advocates
of "A larger house, and the committee
on the census when 1t sits down to
write the new apportionment bill will
be confronted by n demand that the
membership be increased to 800.
Basis Of Representation Higher.
The present basis of representation
is 211,S77. This is to say that under
the 1910 legislation there is one mem.
Der of the house for every 2l1,S77 In.
hnbltants. The basis of representation
will undoubtedly be increased In the
new apportionment. 1t will probably
90 up TO 240,0O0 or 100000. The 1920
population statistics for a large num-
Der of the states are now complete by
congressional districts and they show
that IA number of states, under any
such apportionment as congress Is
likely TO make Will lose members. The
census bureau unofiicially estimates
the total population of the United
States at 106,000,O00. This would be
an increase of approximately 1900
600 in the ten years. If any states are
TO lose representatives under the new
apportionment, then II is evident that
some 65 or 40 new members must be
added to the 435 now provided for.
Every decade since 1890, with the ex-
ception Of 1910, the house membership
has been enlarged to keep pace with
the growing population. Now the house
floor Is crowded when all the members
are present. So 1t will he zen there
is a physical problem to be dealt with.
oObV'Cfh Steohioh " SSi'S w.
The old Issue of Southern represen-
tation In congress will be raised when
the new apportlonment bill Is brought
before the Legislative body. Ii Is q sub
ject that has been brought up and de-
bated in connection with every con-
gressional reapportlonment since the
Civil war. Ten years ago +. ID. Crum-
packer of the Tenth Indiana district
led the fight for a reduction of South
ern representation. He was chairman
He vas supported by a large number
Of representatives, but failed to gain
sufficient support to get the legislation
through.
Up to this time the present commit
tee on the census, 50 Representative
Siegel of New York, its chairman, says,
has not given any thought to the ques-
ton of Southern representation. The
public men who advocate n change In
the basis of representation would en-
force the fourteenth constitutional
amendment. Such n change in the
basis of representation would, of
course, cut down the representation In
"A good many of the Southern states.
To Hurry Profiteer Trials.
The department of justice Is be-
ginning n concentrated drive to
dockets al over the coun-
Try Of the 1,400 indictments OBJ
tanned against merchants in food. fuel
and wearing apparel for %profiteering
or violating the Lever law in some
other way. The dockets of courts in
nearly every state in the Union are
crowded with these indictments,
have been carried over from
the spring terms of court. No cascs
are pending i'm the District of Colum-
bia.
Prohibition has caused a food Of
cases brought for violation Of the Vol
stead act. and these have tended TO
''crowd out to n certain extent the
profiteering indictments. hinG ring
their trial. Every influence Will be
brought to bear by the department of
ii is understood. to bring con-
on these indictments. and
the results broadcast in the
States as a warning to mer-
chants that no p~rOfiteering Will be toll