Evening star., 1926-02-07
NEEDED REAPPORTIONINC
LIKELY TO BE POSTPONED
Census Committee Has Invited Sponsors
of Four Bills to Air Views.
But Delay Is Foreseen.

equal representation i'll Congress, ana
some districts have population twice
as large as others. But this 1s not
entirely the fault of Congress for fail
ure to reapportion. Many or the
States should redistrict to meet the
situation. OF course, il can be said
that they do not want to go to all
that work if Congress is coming along
soon and change their number OF con
gresSional districts.
Take Michigan as an illustration.
The present House of 435 members
was based on a ratio of one Repre-
sentative to every 211.S77 of popula-
ton Ii the House is continued at
the same number of members the
ratio must be one Representative to
every PAP. .267 of popula ton. But to-
day Representative John s. Sosnow-
ski represents a district with popu-
lation of 535, 1853 and Representative
Clarence J. Mcleod represents dis
trict with n population Of 45S,4l4:
while all other districts in the State
have only about half as many citi-
zens. and Representative Roy o.
Woodruff's district has q population
Of only 1859 and Representative
John c. Ketcham's district has a popu-
lation of only 199,504.
Committee Hearings.
There has been only one suggestion
made as a reason for enlarging the
size of the House. Members now are
assigned to several committees and
the committees are all so busy that 1t
is a very complicated task to arrange
for hearings or other committee meet
ings at a time that will not conflict
with some other hearing, which the
member should attend. There are
days when one member is supposed
to be in two or three committee meet
ingS at the same time. The thought
is that with a larger House member
ship this work could be spread around
better. OF course. the logical answer
to that is--don't have your commit
tees SO large, and give each member
only one or two committee assign
ments. instead Of four, five and six
as at present. Representatives Bacon,
New York; Fitzgerald. Ohio; Manlove,
Missouri: Perkins, New Jersey, and
Welsh, Pennsylvania, each has six
committee assignments.
The fact that only eight States have
their Legislatures in session this
year-Kentucky. Louisiana, Massa-
chusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey.
New York, Rhode Island and Vtr-
ginia-has an important bearing on
reapportionment. If the Legislatures
tricting, and there should be a change
IN the number of Representative
apportioned to the State, the pro-
cedure would probably be TO elect all
the members of Congress from such
States "at large" BY such a pro-
cedure 1t might easily happen that
the entire State delegation would be
either Republican or Democratic,
whereas, the several districts, If fairly
nrafav.
ences and much healthier political
situation would result. Pennsylvania
a couple of years ago remedied such
situation, and four Republican
members previously elected "at large"
had their seats taken from them
Incidentally, Pennsylvania could well
stand another redistricting. since the
district represented by Representative
Louis T. McFadden has only 15O,554
population, while that Of Representa-
tive Edmund y. Carpenter has $780,
991 population.
Four Bills Considered.
The four bills being considered by
the census committee are sponsored
by Representative Roy G. Fitzgerald,
Republican. Ohio; Representative
Henry E. Barbour, Republican, Cali
fornia; Representative Clarence J.
Mcleod, Republican, Michigan, and
Representative Thomas l.. Blanton,
Democrat. Texas.
Fitzgerald's is freak bill ''to carry
out the provisions of Article ! of the
Constitution" and provides that after
each decennial census 1.-The President
Of the United States, or, he failing for
Is days, the clerk OF the House of Rep
resentatives, shall notify the several
States Of the number TO which each
Is entitled by the Constitution, and
such apportionment shall obtain until
the next decennial enumeration or
census or until the total number of
Representatives to be elected is
changed"
The Barbour bill is for House OF
435 members, as at present, and pro-
vides for elections at large Of the ad-
ditional - members in the 8 States
entitled to them under that ratio.
The Mcleod bill is also for House
Of 435 members and for election at
large of additional members in States
thus entitled, but it has a novel fea
ture for States that would suffer de-
crease in congressional representa-
ton. He provides that If the Legisla-
ture fails to redistrict or is not in
session, the governor, secretary Of
State and attorney general be empow
cred to redistrict the State.
The Blanton bill would cut the size
Of the House from 435 to 304 mem
bers.