The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-10-26
INCREASED MEMBERSHIP
NOW UP TO COMMITTEE.
MEETING TO BE CALLED AFTER
THE ELECTION TO CONSIDER
REINFORCEMENT.
GAIN IN REPRESENTATION
Redistricting Is State Function to
Be Exercised by Own Legislature.
Representative Larsen of Georgia
Member of Committee.
WASHINGTON, D. CA s.

Member of Committee.
WASHINGTON, D. CA special
meeting of the house committee on
sus, which will have direct bear
on future representation in the
n~tional congress, will be called i'm
mediately after the election next
week.
The committee will convene here
and will continue to hold regular
sessions until definite conclusions are
reached and embodied in the form of
legislation to be introduced in con-
gress in December.
Representative Isaac Siegel, of
New York, is chairman of the COM
mittee. Other member are Repre-
sentatives Fairfield of Indiana, Her
|sey of Maine, Langley of Kentucky,
Towner of Iowa, Wheeler of Illinois,
Glynn of Connecticut and Barbour of
California, republicans, and Aswell
of Louisiana, Larsen of Georgia,
Stephens of Mississippi, Bee of Tex
democrats.
To Consider Increase.
The principal question for the
committee to decide is whether or
not the membership of the national
house of representatives shall be in
creased and, if so, to what extent
that body shall be enlarged. Under
the federal constitution apportion-
ment in the lower branch of con-
gress, which is based on population,
is due for a revision after each fed
eral decennial census.
Increases in population in certain
states would mean that those states
would gain in representation in the
national congress unless the unit of
apportionment is enlarged. For in
stance, the state of Georgia, which
gained nearly 100000 inhabitants
during the last decennial period,
would stand to gain at least one
member under the present appor-
tionment unit.
Congress has nothing to do with
redistricting the states for congress
sional purposes. That is purely a
state function, to be exercised by the
state legislatures, but the legislatures
cannot carve out new congressional
districts or readjust old ones until
| they know what the unit of apportion
fishes the apportionment unit a sim
pie process of division enables the
state legislature to determine how
many representatives are to be al
lowed the state and it is then up to
the legislature to create CORE
spending number of congressional
districts.
If the new apportionment unit
makes no change in the number of
representatives from any state the
legislature is under no obligation to
re-district the state, but can allow
the existing boundaries to stand. AS
most of the state legislatures will
meet next January and will then be
ready to take up re-districting legis-
lation, the house committee on CEN
sus proposes to rush its work in fix
ing the unit so that the legislatures
when they assemble will know on
what basis to proceed.
Opposition Developing.
Strong oppoition to any increase
in the house membership is develop
ing. This is due to the following rea-
sons:
1.-The house as now constituted
with 435 members is admitted to be
ridiculously large and unwieldly.
2.-The limitations of the house
chamber will permit of only slight
increase.
The best thought in congress,
when all considerations of pork"
are set aside, is that the memberhip
of the house should be reduced in
stead of increased. 1t is believed
that house half the size of the pres
ent one would be more responsive to
the needs of the country. At present
the house is so large that a sense of
individual responsibility is lacking,
especially among members from cen
tiers of population. 1t is literally true
that there are members from large
cities, notably Philadelphia and New
York, who seem to regard place in
congress as a mere inconsequential
pastime which brings them in a neat
salary and gives them a certain pres
tige that is desirable. These members
remain at home and attend to their
businesses as usual, often remaining
away from Washington as long as
six months while the most important
Legislative matters are under consid
Grafton. 1t is pointed out that if
there were fewer members the lime
light would be more on each and his
sort of lodging of responsibility
could not exist.