Evening star., 1928-03-13
House Criticized by Press
For Reapportionment Delay

Newspaper comment on the con-
gressional reapportionment measure
proposed by the House census commit
tee Is devoted largely to condemnation
OF the House for its failure to re-
apportion its membership on the basis
OF the 1920 census as required by the
Constitution.
with but two years of the decade
left" says the Houston Chronicle
IDemocratic), the lower house OF Con-
gress might. indeed. be excused for
getting in haste about the matter. ex-
cept-cxcept--tllat the bill now before
the House has nothing to do with
redistricting In this decade. but has to
do solely with redistricting after the
next census. Having failed to reach
any agreement during the present
decade. evidently Congress thinks II Will
frame an agreement in advance for the
first congressional session Of the next
decade. Having failed to attend TO
very urgent and admitted duty of the
present. 1t seems to think II can be par
doned for that failure. II 1t will now
only 60 TO work on future duty. The
logic OF this view Is hardly to be
admired"
"You will find" advises the Detroit
News independently. that the fnnda-
mental purpose in providing for this
regular reapportionment was 10 save
this Republic from disaster Nothing
else. And when Congress ignores this
vital safeguard and substitutes for the
plain command of the Constitution
specious promise meant merely TO carry
the members past an election, II Is
guilty of an ofIense which. II success
ful, will be recorded A. its worst AS
treason. ard by the most charitable as
larceny by trick
The only power which prevents
Congress from making reapportion-
ment for the elections of 1929 and 1890
Is ths unWilingneas of this present Con-
Rfcss To obey the Constitution" de-
clares the Worcester Telegram tinde-
pendenD. and the New York Herald
Tribune lRepublican) describes the bill
for automatic rcapportionment In the
future MS broad and humiliating
delegation Of authority-~one Of which
earlier Houses Of Representatives would
never have dreamed"
y
TIL. st. Paul Pioneer Press (inde-
pandenD says The opposition comes
from C0nei essmen who tolerate no talk
OF nuliification, TO them nuiiillcation
means notification Of the eighteenth
amendment The horrors Of the word
depend entirely unon Wnat part of the
Constitution is threatened Similarly
The Cincinnati Iimes-Star Republi-
cam contends: Qualification Of the
eighteenth amendment would be much
less probable II the drys In Congress
had not begun the game of nulltficn~
ton. The ajority can rule only when
government In truly representative,
Minority rule never has been popular
among free OeoDlFS "
Though the committee makes It's
recommendation now" according To
the Baltimore Evening FUN Nndcpend'
ent Dem0craticl there H. no reason
Lo believe that they ere not carrying on
the same blum which has already got
them by, Similar recommendation
have been made In the past. and. they
have been allowed to die Il natural
| death. For, although the Constitution
makes reapp0rti0nment mandatory,
there are other factors working to nul"
lify the mandate, And the chief Of
tliehe factors is that, under any eqlitas
bic system OF reapportionment the pre-
domnantly urban sections nt the Goiln-
try VIII gain representation, and the
prednminahtly rural sections will lose ="
THE close vote In the House cenalis
| committee" however II viewed by the
Oakland Tribune tludependent Repuh.
lcan) M adding strength ta the im~
preston that when The House votes on
| feapporti0nment the opponents 10 the
! constitutional demand viii be numer-
oua That the bill got out of commits
| tee, even by u i0*to-H count, IN en-
| epuraging IN face nf what haa happened
to II before. u Congress pnasea
tha bill, the new apnostionment VIII be
| c0mpieied In 1881" ="
The danger lies u h argued by the
Teffe nsute Star ,independent Repnh.
licant, IN the probability that repre-
Aentati1n ot somo Htatea VIII hufier re-