The Washington herald., 1921-01-20
House Votes Against In
creasing Number of
Representatives.
RURAL DISTRICTS
OPPOSE CHANGE
Redistricting Affects 19
Commonwealths and
"a Members.

The House decided yesterday not
to increase its membership to 4Ss
members by adopting an amend
ment to the Siegel reapportionment
bill limiting the number of Repre-
sentatives in the lower body of
Congress to 435, the present num-
Der. The amendment was offered
by Henry e. Barbour. of Califor-
mia and passed by a vote of 267 to
76, with two voting present, prior
to the passage of the bill by a viva
yoce vote.
Owing to the varying increases
in population in different parts OF
the country during the past ten
years, the decision OF the House
changes the representation of Nine
teen States. 1t increases the rep
resentation of California by three,
of Connecticut by one, of Michigan
by two, of New Jersey by one. of
North Carolina by one, of Ohio by
two, of Texas by one, and of Wash
ington by one. At the same time it
decreases the representation of In
diana by one, Iowa by one, Kansas
by one, Kentucky by one. Louis
lana by one. Maine by one, Mis-
sissippi by one, Missouri by two,
Nebraska by one, Rhode Island by
one and Vermont by one. 1t leaves
the representation of the remaining
States as 1t Is at present.
Opposition Firm.
The final disposition of the meas
ure came only after several at
tempts to change the bill and the
bitter opposition of representatives,
of agricultural States whose rep
resentation has decreased, had
failed.
Oscar E. Bland, of Indiana, opened
the fight on the bill by moving TO
strike out the enacting clause. His
petion WAS defeated by a vote of
Ifs7 to 90. ~
Immediately after Barbour had
lowed by a second, offered by Bur-
lOh VI lOn a. ~ 4llllN NhC
membership to 400, and a third by
membership to 3O7 after March 8.
1928.
Rural Districts Fight.
The ensuing debate brought forth
the vigorous opposition of Repre-
sentatives of rural districts. Sweet
urged that the membership be made
460 on the grounds that with a re-
apportionment on this basis the
representation of only eighteen
States would be effected, Maine and
Missouri being the only two among
these to have their number re-
duced.
Charges were made by William
r. Green, of Iowa, that the
House Census Committee had not
thoroughly Investigated the probe
lem of reapportionment on the
basis of the last census. He al
legged that reapportionment of rep
resentation in Congress at this time
was unjust to rural districts from
which numberless persons had gone
to the cities during the emergency
of the war
Says Figure Correct.
Although previously reading to
the House a letter from a Harvard
statistician claiming that the Cen
sus Committee had proceeded in a
false premise in framing the bill
for reapportionment, Isaac Siegel.
chairman of the committee, vigor-
ously denied the statements Of
Green. He said the census form
ing the basis of the committees
calculations were final and correct
Defeat of the Jones amendment
by a vote of 103 to 55 followed.
The Barbour amendment was then
approved, 19S to n. by the House
sitting as a Committee of the Whole.
Tinkham's Motion Loses.
Carrying to the floor of the House
his fight to reduce the representa-
ton of Southern States particu-
larly according to the extent to
which they were alleged to have
disfranchised colored voters, Tink-
ham. of Massachusetts,, offered an
amendment providing that the man
date of the Fourteenth amendment
be carried out in reapportionment.
Tinkham's amendment was ruled out
of order by the Speaker following
arguments sustaining the point of
order by Nicholas Longworth, of
Ohio, and Frank w. M0ndell, of
Wyoming.
Barbour offered an amendment TO
the bill giving the governor power
to redistrict the State where such
was necessary and no other machin-
cry was provided. His amendment
was defeated by a vote of 14s to rs.
A final amendment by Garrett to
throw out the provision in the bill
calling for the nomination of Rep
resentatives at large in the same
manner as the governor of the
State unless otherwise provided for
by the State constitution was de-
feated by a vote of 124 to I04. The
new plan goes into effect for the
Sixty-eighth Congress to be elected
in 1922.