Evening star., 1925-05-24
WOULD LIMIT HOUSE.
TO 800 MEMBERS.
Senator GiI|ett, Former
Speaker, Urges Solution of
Vexing Legislation Problems.

membership from AS. as at present.
10 500 will he seriously considered
by Congress when it reassembles.
Senator Frederick n. Gillett. re-
Gently Speaker OF the House makes
the proposal to solve the long stand.
Ing puzzle OF limiting the size of the
House and to expedite reapportion-
ment under the decennial census
which has hung fire for five years
and resulted in situation where
people of certain sections do not now
have an equal voice with people Of
other sections in the making of our
laws. Senator Gillett speaks with
authority regarding a condition that
ca used much concern during the peri
od when he was Speaker. and he has
had personal experience of the un-
wieldy character of such large leSis.
lative body as the House is now. He
has received enough support from
House members on his plan To limit
the size of the House to Justify the
prediction that this will he an i'm.
portant issue before the next House
and will have at least some chance
of adoption.
GilIett Plan Outlined.
The Gillett plan. which is embodied
in bill filed by him and referred
10 the House census committee. would
limit the membership of the House
TO about 800 by establishing new
system of apportioning the members
Of the House among the several States
under subsequent decennial censuses.
The next federal census will be that
of 1890. The Gillett plan would pro
vide that after March 3. 1888. each
State shall be entitled to number
of representatives in the House. de
termined every tenth year beginning
with the year 1894. as follows:
BY dividing by 500 the entire pop
ulation in all the States. excluding
untaXed Indians. shown by the Fed
eral census returns.
BY then dividing the whole number
of persons in each State. excluding
Indians not taxed. by the number
resulting from the first division.
Fixes State Representation.
The number resulting from the lat
ter division. excluding fractions. would
he the number of representatives TO
which each State would he entitled,
except that If such division resulIe
in a fraction greater than one half
the number of representa- tives would
be increased by one, and except that
each State would he entitled TO
al least one representative This
provision as to a fraction larger than
one-half would make the total mem
hership few more than 300.
If the Gillett plan should give
State a larger number of representa-
tives than it has now, the additional
representative representatives
would be elected at large until the
State rearranged its congressional
districts in accordance with the new
system. If. on the other hand, the
plan reduced the number of represent
ativeS in State. the entire delega-
tion would be elected at large until
the redistricting was effected in the
State.
Constitutional Provision.
The Constitution provides that Con
Eress shall-not may-make an ap-
portionment of the members of the
House after each Federal census.
Congress has complied with this con-
stitutional requirement as regards
each Federal census except the last
and fourteenth. that of 1920. The
House has attempted to do this with
out any success. During one session
the House census committee reported
under the Harding administration
bill which would have increased
the membership of the House by
few The sentiment of the House
proved overwhelming. however. against
z ny increase III the Size oiu
rhe bill was amended to retain the
membership al 435. and was passed
and sent TO the Senate. But as the
bill as amended was based on the
1920 instead of the 1910 population,
il would have decreased. the delega-
tions of several States. while increas S.
ing those of others. Members from
those States, the delegations of which
would have been decreased. actu-
ated chiefly by fear of losing their
own Jobs ba nded together and with
the aid of Sena tors from their States
were successful in holding up this
bill in the Senate. and the only meas
ure pa ssed by the House since the
1920 census in compliance with the
constitutional requirement died in
the other branch without action.
Advantages Of Plan Cited.
The Gillett plan, in the opinion of
its supporters, has these distinct ad-
vantages. He declares:
I. BY setting the membership al q
def mite number permanently it would
do away with much. Ii not ALL of
the trouble caused by the activities of
House members opposing apportion-
ment legislation which. they fear,
would place their seats in jeopardy.
and the sectional pride and jealousy
which cause other complications.
2. 1t would reduce the membership
to a point where it would be more
compact and workable, less unwieldy.
n is Gillett's settled conviction, ba sed
on more than 80 years in the House
and three terms as its Speaker. that
the business of Congress. the public
business, can he done much better
and faster with House of between
500 and $50 members than with
House of larger membership. He con
ziders the present membership cf 435
as much too unwieldy.
). II gives all concerned plenty Of
advance notice.
The last is needed if the Gillett plan is
10 have fair chance of adoption. as
any bill which would reduce the mem
bership from 435 to few more than
300 would obviously reduce the House
delegations in most States, and in
this would be the ba sis of the greatest
opposition to his measure. Nassa
rhusetts now has 16 House members
Assuming. for example, that [ e pop
uation of the United States and of
Massachusetts will increase As much
in the next five years as the Census
Bureau estimates they have since l920
10 date. and then applying the Gil.ett
plan, II Is seen hat the latter woui
give Massachusetts a House delega
ton of IL, loss of five This figure
Of course, is based on population es
Inmates which may be far Of the
mark as shown by the 1880 census.
Results Under Apportionment.
The first House had 65 members
o constitutional apportionment which
was TO hold good until after the first
census that of 1890. Massachusetts
had under this apportionment
The following shows the number Of