Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24

cial session. is going to make
"reapportionment," which
~ means they are going to change
the number of members of the
lower house that each State shall have.
That is important on the face of 1t.
Fundamentally, it is more important
than appears Judged by the shifting
of political power which the new APP
portionment will give effect to, it goes
to the heart of the most vital changes
now and recently taking place in Amer
lean life.
Reapportoinment was not on the
original program for the special session.
1t was not on the program of the re-
cent regular session Indeed, it has not
really been on the program of any ses-
sion during the eight years in which
reapportionment has been overdue
during which, in fact. failure to reap
portion has been called a continuing
scandal: during which practically every
newspaper in the country blared out at
Congress with such epithets as "brazen
defiance of the Constitution" and I'm
sufferable political selfishness" This
statement should be qualified: The lower
house has twice been willing and twice
passed the act; the Senate has never
been willing From no Senator has come
so much as single gesture toward re-
apportionment until toward the close
of the recent Congress-
Vandenberg Scores Senate.
That reapportionment is to be made
in the coming session is due to the
energy-and the outraged Indignation
of one man, a new Senator. Arthur H.
Vandenberg of Michigan. Senator Van
denberg is a bit of Zealot about the
Constitution and a genuinely learned
student of it. In the debates one day
in January he said: Everything We
have and are and can ever hope to be
Is dependent upon constitutional sane
tity." Feeling this way, Mr.. Vanden-
berg. while in private life as editor of
the Grand Rapids Herald, observed,
as nearly every newspaper editor and
nearly everybody else observed, that
Congress has been ignoring the Consti-
tuition ever since 1921.
When Editor Vandenberg became
Senator Vandenberg. he told his fellow
Senators what he felt about them. He
used frank words. He told them that
for eight years a fundamental chal-
lenge at the very root source Of con-
stitutional guarantees has been ignored
and evaded in these halls" He told
them that by their inaction great
States and great constituencies are out
rageously victimized." He described their
eight years evasion and refusal as an
"insufferable trespass," "contemptuous,
constitutional affront,' poison at
the wellspring of the American system"
All these epithets Senator Vanden-
berg flung at his fellow Senators and
much more irrefutable argument.
Then he introduced his bill providing
for the belated reapportionment.
Threatens Filibuster.
The Senate was not particularly
moved. 1t did not pass the bill To-
ward the end of the session it became
apparent 1t was not going to pass 1t.
Thereupon, Senator Vandenberg de-
vised, so to speak, sort of reverse fill
buster. He, with such help as he could
get showed that he was going to talk
about his bill and otherwise keep it be-
fore the Senate until he got action.
That would have prevented the passage
of important appropriations. Senator
Vandenberg said he would stop his tao
tics If he could get an understanding.
He got his understanding. He was
assured by Republican Leader Watson
and Presiding -offlcer-to-be Curtis that
his bill would be passed in the special