South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-01-09
CONGRESS WILL NOT
REAPPORTION STATE
WITHIN FOUR YEARS
House Committeeman Gives
Reason for Failure of Ac-
ton During 1922.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. s.
Reapportionment OF the state Of In
diana into congressional districts ap-
pears 10 be a long way off as the re-
suit of a combination formed by re-
publican and democratic members
of the house 10 delay legislation fix
ing the unit of apportionment until
1925.
Rep. John W Langley. a leading
republican member OF the house
committee on the census. announced
today that enough members OF that
committee of both political parties
have Joined in the combination to
make It impossible TO report out
any bill establishing a new unit Of
congressional apPortionment He
predicted that such legislation would
not be passed by congress before
1926.
There are the best of reasons for
the delay" he declared The
world war upset the usual distribu-
ton or population and the census Of
1920 Is not the proper basis upon
which TO apportion members Of con-
gress. When the war came on
countless thousands Of persons left
the farms and went to the cities to
engage in war work. especially in
the munitions factories.
Then when demobilization came
countless thousands OF soldiers who
had been farmers and farm labor
ers all their lives prior to the war
could not make up their minds to
go back to the farms. They had
seen the world and the farm had
become too tame to suit their
tastes.
These two reasons. combined.
gave the cities an undue proportion
OF the population OF the country
when the census OF 1920 was taken
and any apportionment based on
that census would afford 10 the cit
les an altogether preponderating and
unfair advantage IN the halls Of leg
islation.
"Since 1920 the drift back to the
farm has begun. Men ind they
cannot get work I'm the cities and
with the specter OF unemployment
present everywhere they are going
back TO the land 10 scratch for a
living The movement back to the
farms has not much more than be-
gun: it will continue for several
years
Under these circumstances the
proper thing for congress to do is 10
direct the census bureau 10 take
mid-decennial census OF the popula-
ton in 1925 and use the results OF
that census as a basis upon which
70 FIX a new unit Of apportionment
The expense Of such a mid-decen-
NAL census would be much less than
the cost OF a regular decennial cen
sus. for the reason that IL is custom
airy in any event 70 take a census OF
manufactures every i've years and
il would not he a great additional
expense TO broaden that census 20
include simply the statistics OF popu-
lation. emitting all OF the other var
led schedules that go 20 make up a
regular decennial census.
The results Of a population cen
sus taken in 1925 probably would
not De dNdllt ple III 4tlot so lldL the
state LEGISLATURES could proceed in
the latter year. or as soon thereafter
as convenient. 20 redistrict their re-
spectve states for congressional
purposes. BY this time the move
ment back 10 the farms will have
been completed and population viii
have returned 20 It's normal levels.
Il will then be possible 20 effect an
apportionment that viii 10 justice
70 the agricultural regions Of the
country and 20 other sections. not
strictly agricultural. where there was
a dislocation OF normal conditions
caused by the war"