Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-19
MEMBERSHIP
FIGHT IN HOUSE
UNDECIDED
Vote Probable Today
on Bill to Increase
Number


Day Of Oratory and Argument For
and Against Bill Proposing Boost
of Membership to 483 - Defeat
Would Mean Loss of One Seat by
Maine Proponents May Move to
Put Question Over to Next Con-.
sress
Washington, Jan. 1s-After five
hours Of argument and oratory. the
House, like jury not required to be
locked up, went home tonight to de-
liberate over the proposal to in
crease it's membership from 4S5 to 4S3.
Such a storm of protest was raised,
however, to the bill, that House lead
ers predicted the verdict tomorrow
would be against the increase and
for an amendment holding seats to
the present total. The debate touched
on every possible point, although
Representative Champ Clark declared
it was not different from that heard
after every decennial census in the
last half century.
| Rising to speak in opposition to the
| bill, Representative Esch. Republican,
Wisconsin, who failed of reelection in
| November, after a continuous service
of % years. was greeted alike by a
demonstration from Republicans and
Democrats. Then, when he had un-
divided attention Mr. Esch declared
! that the House could not justify it's
action to the membership simply to
save one seat in Maine and another
| in Missouri.
"Why can't this House have tho
courage to say it will not do that he
asked. 1.-THE people of your states
are not SO much concerned with the
number of representatives as they
are with the question of ability and
efficiency. 1t is not too difficult to
remember the time when Maine, with
four members, had more influence
here than New York with it's thirty"
| Nearly everybody had chance to
express his views. Representative
| Montague. Democrat, Virginia, broke
into the discussion in its early stage
TO declare that it was shockingly OBJ
vious to the House, as it was to the
country, that the House was too big
new to legisiate effectively. Repre-
sentative Clark, who goes out of Of
| flee in March, endorsed the increase,
but announced he would fight for q
| constitutional amendment which
would hold the total to 500 for all time
Representative Mondell Of Wyoming,
| Republican leader, joined with those
1 or posing an increase in membership,
declaring that eff this body is to re-
i main what the fathers intended, a
deliberate body it must be kept rea-
| sonably small.
| Some members, even from states
which stand to lose representatives.
opposed the bill and insisted on the
amendment proposed by Ren~nsAnta-
| tive Barbour, Republican,, California,
which would keep the total as it
stands today. This was particularly
true Of Mississippi which is slated to
lose seat, three of it's representa-
tives-Sisson, Humphreys and Steph-
ens-fghting for the smaller number.
! There was. however a pleas from
Representative Aswell, Democrat.
Louisiana. whose state would lose one
member. that reduction should not. be
made at the time when women were
starting to vote, and a warning by
Representative Sims. Democrat, Ten
nessee, that it was easier for big inter-
ests 20 control small body than big
body. Taking up the latter statement,
Mr.. Sissoni said al 1.-THE world knew
how big cities were bossed, and that
the charge never had been made that
/, there was such a thing as the boss of
a village.
Representative Macarthur, Republi-
can, Oregon. resented the argument
that under the increase the Republican
party automatically would gain 10
votes in the electoral college. The ques-
ton Of proper representation. he as
serted. should not be settled in a
spirit of partisanship. Mr.. Macarthur
declared that to add As members to the
House would mean a tax on the people
of 100000 annually.
! Under the Barbour amendment the
House would be apportioned by Shift
ing IL seats from IL states to eight.
States gaining would be California.
Michigan, Ohio. Connecticut. New Jer-
sey, North Carolina. Texas and WASH
| ington. Listed in the losing column
We're Missouri, Indiana, Iowa. Kansas,
Kentucky. louisiana. Maine, MISSISSIPPI
pi, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Yer
mont
| After the debate had ended for the
day and the House had adjourned. a
movement was started by members
| from some of the states that would
lose under the Barbour amendment to
present motion tomorrow to strike
out the cnactin gclause of the present
bill. This would automatically kill
! the measure and perhaps cause reap
portionment legislation to GO over UNI
til the next Congress. Representative
| Bland, Republican. Indiana. leader in
the movement. said he would present
| the motion which. under the rules,
,wouid be privileged and would come to
| an immediate vote. Democratic MEM
bers to whom overtures on the SUBJ
| ject were made were understood to
have indicated that they would vote
against the motion.