The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-20
Frederic EIaskin's Letter
tapoasa casrezpoodenes a
The Size of the House.

sional seats became necessary fol-
lowing the 1880 census.
1t is generally conceded that tia
house does not function as well
with a big membership as with
small one. However, the census
committee quickly discovered THAT
to reduce the apportionment would
arouse a storm of protest from thu
states which would be cut. Az
other fight has developed over the
efforts of some members to cut the
size of the congressional represep.
tation in states where, it was
charged before the committee, the
right to vote was denied or abrjdg-
ed in the case of some qualified
voters. Denial or infringement Of
the voting privilege; under the l4th
amendment to the constitution
may be punishable by that state
having its representation IN the
house reduced in the proportion
which those citizens denied the vot-
ing right bear to the whole body Of
voters in the state. The commit
tee decided that it had not the time
at its disposal to go into this ques-
ton.
This applied particularly to the
southern states, many conflicting
statements having been submitted.
Presidential Elections Affected.
One of the strongest reasons why
the states fight so hard against re-
duction of their congressional rep
t. - n
portant bearing on future presi-
Dental elections. The number Of
electoral votes possessed by each
state corresponds to its representa-.
ton in both branches of congress.
Should the southern states, or any
of them, lose congressional seats,
the stronghold of democracy would
be weakened in presidential cleo
lions in the future, and carrying
the south would not weigh as heav-.
lily in the balance as is now the
case.
The size of the house has in
creased steadily since the birth OF
the country except in one instance.
Originally it consisted of 65 men,
bers, one to each 10000 of pOpula-
member for each 80 900 people, the
size of the house became 106, On
the same basis, 10 years later the
house membership numbered 142.
The increase continued. with the
number of representative being
checked only by increasing the
number of persons each was to rep,
resent. In 1843, however, congress
reduced the size of the house, the
only time recorded in history. The
ratio of people was increased from
1900 to 70,6S0, and this decreased
the number of representatives from
242 to 222. In 1888, after the tenth
census, congressional representa-
ton was based on one for each 49,
oil persons, and this increased the
size of the house from 283 to 1872
Ten years later it became 357, 10
years after this 391, and after the
thirteenth census the house grew
to it's present size of 435 members,
on basis of one member to every
211,877 persons.
Sentiment for limiting the house
at least to its present size is fairly
strong. This would be accomplish
ed if the ratio of people for coRr
gressional districts was fixed at
242,415, or any major fraction OF
that number Of people The diff
Guilty is that while the total men,
bership would remain the same,
eight states would gain members
and IL would lose. The total gain
and loss would be II seats. Cali
fornia gaining three. Michigan and
Ohio two each, while Connecticut,
New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas
and Washington each wolld gain a
seat
Offsetting this gain, Missouri
would lose two seats, while one seat
would be lost in Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode
Island and Vermont
The members who urge that there
be no increase declare that there IS
no duty that 4S3 members can &C.
complish which 435 cannot do as
we'll, that the house will be more uG-
wieldly and cumbersome than ever
if increased in size. and that in
creasing the membership TO 483 will
result in additional salaries, clerk,
hire, mileage, ct cetera, amounting
to more than a million dollars an
nually. Six members of the cen
sus committee took this view at tho
last session, and brought in a
minority report to that effect.