The New York herald., 1921-01-19
INCREASE OF HOUSE
STIRS UP MEMBERS
Proposal to Raise Quota From
435 to 483 Meets OPP
position.
PARTY LINES IGNORED
Every One Has Chance to Talk
and Debate Takes Wide
Range.
PARTY LINES IGNORED

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18.-After five
hours of argument and oratory the
House. like a jury not required to be
locked up, went home tonight to delib-
crate over the proposal to increase Its
membership from 435 to 4s3.
Such protest was raised. however. to
the bill that House leaders predicted the
verdict tomorrow would be against the
Increase The debate touched on every
possible point, although Representative
Clark, former Democratic leader. de-
clared 1t was not different from that
heard after every decennial census for
the last half century.
Rising to speak in opposition to the
bill. Representative Esch, Republican.
Wisconsin, who failed of reelection last
year after a continuous service of twen-
ty-two years, was greeted by a demon
stration by Republican and Democrats
alike. Then when he had the undivided
attention Mr.. Esch declared the House
could not justify it's action in adding to
the membership simply to save one seat
in Maine and another in Missouri
"Why can't this House have the cour-
age to say It will not do that?" he asked.
The people Of your State are not so much
concerned with the number of Repre-
sentatives as they are with the ques-
ton of ability and efficiency. 1t is not
too difficult to remember the time when
Maine. with it's four members. had more
influence here than New York with its
thirty"
Nearly everybody had chance to cx-
press his views. Representative Monte- :
que, Democrat, Virginia, broke into the
discussion in it's early stage to declare
It was shockingly obvious to the House.
as It was to the country. that the House
was too big now to legislate effectively.
Representative Clark. who goes out OF
office in March. indorsed the Increase,
but announced he would fight for con-
stitutional amendment which would hold
the total to 500 for all time. Represen-
tative Mondell, of Wyoming. the Repub-
lican leader, Joined with the opposition.
declaring that ''if this body is to remain
what the fathers intended, deliberative
body, it must be kept reasonably small. y
Some members even from States which
stand to lose representation opposed the
bill and insisted on the amendment pro-
posed by Representative Barbour. Re-
publican, California. which would keep
the total as it stands to-day. This was
true VI hiSSISSlpPis cidlCu ~
lose seat, three of it's Representatives
Sisson, Humphreys and Stephens-fight-
ing for the smaller number.
There was however. plea from Rep
resentative Aswell. Democrat Louisiana.
whose State would lose one member.
that reduction should not be cut at the
time women were starting to vote, and =
warning by Representative Sims. Demo-
crat, Tennessee. that it was easier for
big interests to control small than n
big body. Taking up the latter state
ment. Mr.. Sisson said all the world knew
how big cities were bossed. and that the
charge never had been made that there
was such being as the boss of VII
lage.
Representative Macarthur Republican.
Oregon. resented the argument that
under the increase the Republican party
automat' cally would gain nineteen
votes in the Electoral College. The
question of proper representation. he
asserted, should not be settled in a
spirit of partisanship. Mr.. Macarthur
declared to add forty-eight members to
the House would mean a tax on the
people of 81 900 900 annually