The Caldwell tribune., 1920-12-31
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THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
By ]. E. Jones
How Many Congressmen do we Need7

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How Many Congressman do we Need
When the Federal constitution was
adopted it was provided that "the mum.
ber' of Representatives shall not ex.
ceed one for every thirty thousand" oi
the population. The fourteenth amend.
rnent says: Representatives shall be
1apportioned among the several States
according to their respective numbers
Ten years ago there were $50 Repre-.
sentatives. The census having beer
taken reapportionment will be pro.
vided by Congress next spring. With
respect to this forthcoming reappor-
tionment the following facts will be
admitted by any honest Congressman
First, that the House of Representa-
tives is a lametably inefficient organ
ization. Second, that this condition is
almost solely due to the size of the
membership. Third, that the public
business would be best served by a
decrease of at least one-half of the
membership of the House.
The writer witnessed the wire-pull-
ing when the last reapportionment was
made, following the 1910 census. Mem
Der after member in the House got up
and protested against increasing the
number of Representatives above $50.
While they were making their patroit-
ic appeals the "wire-pullers" figured
out, state by state, basis which would
give the Republicans, then in power,
new members. Some States got one
new epresentative-others more. Then
the voters in the next election return
ed Democratic House. To provide
for more room for these all the desks
were removed from the chamber, and
these were replaced with benches, a
la English-to make room for ABS
members.
Representative Hull advocates sub
mitting to the States a constitutional
amendment to limit the size of the
House to $50 members. Hulrs pro-
posal is ridiculous on its face, as an
honest Congress. that would put the
interests of the country above political
expediency would not need to be hog
tied by a Constitutional amendment
Nevertheless there is merit in Hulrs
suggestion since its application would
prevent Congress from piling ur the
dead-wood in Congressional member
ship above certain limit.
The Senate works efficiently because
of its limited Membership. The House
gets worse and worse, and its men,
bers increase in numbers, and then each
Congressman goes back to the people
to tell them of the great anxiety about
"the public interest" Most of the
members right now are more interest
ed in fixing up the lines of their own
districts in order to get rid of coun-
ties that went against them in the
last election, and replacing them with
counties that vote their way, than they
are in making better and more eff
cient House of Representatives. which
every mothers son of them knows can
be brought about by providing a re-
apportionment with greatly lessened
number of Congressman. instead of
more of them.
Science and Prices.
In the readjustment period the pub
lie seems to be showing keen inter-
est in securing the proper service
from the railroads and the public
utilities. while the Price that they are
paying for it is apparently secondary
consideration. 1t would be a mistake
to interpret the above paragraph to
imply that the public does not care
what the necessities and conveniences
cost them-whether the selling party
be public utility or merchant-but
1t IS visible fact that the nation has
taken on more independent attitude
as result of the war, and a railroad
company or a public utility that at
tempts to furnish an inferior service
finds that it cannot get away with it.
This new attitude of the public is re-
Elected in just the same way in the
small matters, and the merchants who
sells second grade eggs does not need