Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-10-15
STATE MAY GAIN
ONE CONGRESSMAN
Representative Basis Is To Be
Altered AS Result of Gen.
sus Figures Recently
Made Public.

INSTRUMENTATION VI
the official census figures of the coun
| try which place the population of the
continental United States at 105,6SS
1O8, an increase of 14.9 over 1910, in
dicates that the west and the south
will gain most in a political way
through increased membership in the
house of representatives and conse-
quently more votes in the electoral
college and in larger delegations to
the national political conventions.
This result will become effective
when the basis of apportionment is
adopted by congress next winter, fix
ing the size of the next house. AS a
result of the increase of 13,710,842 in
population during the last ten years
SO new seats must be added to the
house to prevent any state from los
ing any part of its present reDresenta-
ton. Should the present iuvr es1lip
Of 4S5 be left unchanged by increasing
the basis of apportionment. there will
have to be a transfer Of 1913 seats, now
held by IL states to other states.
For the last half a century, the pre-
cedent has been to increase the size
Of the house so as to prevent loss of
existing representation by any state
las a result, the house has grown in
this ppef4Cd from 84S u 4Ss ~
with only three states Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont losing one
member each in the last SO years
If this precedent is followed, five
additional representatives, seats must
be given to California, each to New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michi-
gan, three to Illinois and Texas, two
to Massachusetts, New Jersey and
North Carolina, and one each to Ala
bama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Washington, West Vir-
ginia, Wisconsin, Virginia, Arkansas,
and Minnesota.
Congressional leaders are strongly
opposed to any large increase in the
house as they regard the present mem
bership Of 435 as too unwieldy.
BY holding the house membership
to 453, gains would be distributed with
three to California, two to Michigan
and Ohio and one each to Connecticut
New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklaho-
ma, Texas, Washington. To Offset
these gains Missouri would be forced
to lose two congressman, while Indi-
ana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisi-
ana Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska,
Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia
would lose one each. All other states
would retain their present numerical
delegations.
At the last session of congress some
Republican leaders expressed opposi-
ton to any change that would be OF
profit to the south. However, the new
census does not indicate that the
south can be affected without cor
responding effect on states where the
Republicans might not be inclined to
reduce the delegations.
Regardless of the apportionment
basis the swing in political power will
be, first toward the Pacific coast and
the Rocky Mountain states, followed
by the south, and the east and the
middle west
The census showed that for the first
time, the farm-to-city movement of
population in the last ten years has
resulted in the cities gaining the ma
jority of population.
The problem of readjusting districts
within the states is not one with
which congress concerns itself. The
congressional apportionment is made
by states. Thus the fight over the
district boundaries within a state
is shifted to thestate legislature there,
it is expected, will come the contro-
versies between the city and the ru-
raj districts for the control of house
districts