Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09

OF Michigan.
| apportionment, and the Constitution
requires their inclusion when 1t calls
! for a count of the whole number OF
| persons" in each State. The greatest
constitutional lawyers in the Senate
| such as Senator Borah on the Repub-
lican side and Senator Walsh OF Mon
tana on the Democratic side-declare
the inclusion of aliens to be mandatory
Yet all such considerations have been
swept aside by those who. once more,
would defeat this latest effort to force
just recognition Of representative
rights. No expedient has been ignored
in the long time effort to hamper and
harass this undertaking.
In spite of bitter opposition, this
bill passed the Senate on May 20. /
pause to pay my tribute OF particular
respect to Ia Senators from States
| which may lose Representatives under
the terms of this bill, and on the basis
of the 1880 census. yet who, in the
face of constitutional duty. courage
ously recorded themselves in favor OF
this insurance policy upon the Constl-
tution'S life. I refer to Senators Hale
and Gould Of Maine, Walsh and Gillett
| of Massachusetts. Copeland and Wag-
ner of New York. Watson and Robin
SUI Vi AnoAaHd, CnPpeA oAa HniS4, "a ".
Kansas, Reed of Pennsylvania, Sackett
Of Kentucky, Norris of Nebraska and
Patterson of Missouri.
In all, II States seem destined to
lose one or more Representatives In
| 1880, and IL States seem destined to
gain. 1t is unfortunate that there
must be losses. But until population Is
| static. apportionment cannot be static
unless the Constitution Succumb to
Tho raol nupctiOD lie mot the
petty transfer of few seats in Con-
gresS. The real question Is whether
Congress itself shall preserve consti-
tutional integrity.
The House passed this bill, in. some
what amended form, on June 5.
The legislation now hangs in con-
ference between the two chambers.
The prospect is for final action in both
chambers during the week to come. II
| this bill finally joins the statutes, the
fateful jeopardy involved in the per-
sistent failure of all reapportionment
for eight past years will permanently
end. The Constitution once more will
mean what it says. Our representative
democracy will rest more firmly upon
sound foundations.
Mr. Rankin's Speech.
Representative Rankin's address was
vigorous defense of those who OPP
posed the apportionment bill. He spoke
as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen of the radio
audience-So much transformation has
been disseminated throughout the coun-
try relative to the so-called reappor-
Torment bill, which was recently rail-
roaded through the House and Is now
in conference, that l have come to try to
correct some of the erroneous impress
sions which this propaganda has made,
and to refute some Of the charges that
have been leveled at those members OF
the House of Representatives who have
been trying to preserve one of the most
sacred principles of our American insti-
tions-that of maintaining an indie
pendent legislature, unhampered by ex-
ecutiVe control.
Want Accurate Census.
The advocates OF the census reap
portionment bill recently passed by the
House and the Senate have charged that
those of us who opposed 1t were multi
flying, the Constitution of the United
States. That charge Is not true. We
are in favor of reapportionment, but we
first want an accurate census to base
1t on.
The proponents of this measure con-
tend that it is mandatory under the
Constitution that we reapportion after
%
But il their contention is correct. they
are the violators of the Constitution
themselves. For the bill which they
propose does not attempt to reapportion
Congress under the census OF 1920, as
their alleged constitutional mandate
would require, but provides for a re-
apportionment under the census OF
1880 and delegates the power to make
the reapportionment to the President
of the United States.
This concentration Of power into the
hands of the Chief Executive Is one Of
the greatest steps toward the centraliza-
ton of governmental powers into the
hands of the President ever taken in
this country. surrenderS one OF the
sacred principles of legislative govern
ment for which our forebears have
fought for / 900 years. Those OF us who
do not believe that the Constitution re-
quires that reapportionment be made
after every census have declined to sup
port reapportionment based on the 1920
census for the reason that 1t was mac
curate and reapportionment under 1t
would have greatly Disseminated
! against the agricultural States.
Last Census Held Inaccurate.
That census was taken at time
when we were just emerging from the
| World War, when many Of our boys
/ were away in the service, and great
numbers of our farming people were
| concentrated into the large congested
| centers and engaged In those industrial
activities incident to the war. Besides,
it was taken In the Winter time when
a vast number Of our farming people
were not to be found at home. when the
roads were bad, when it was pouring
down rain throughout the Southern
/
and Western States were wrapped in a
shroud of snow.
1t was also taken at the peak of high
prices, when 1t was found impossible to
secure men to go out and count the
country people for the small compensa-
ton paid
/ As a result a great number Of the ag-
ricultural States of the South and West
such as Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska
Indiana. Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri
would have had part OF their repre-
Sentation taken away from them and
transferred to the large congested cen
tiers OF the East with large alien popu-
lations If reapportionment had been
made under that census.
When this bill finally came before the
House last week and an attempt was
J made to eliminate aliens from the count
OF even to take census Of the alien:
who are in the United States unlaW-
. fully it met with the most strenuou:
resistance on the part of Representa-
tiyes from those localities where these
aliens are largely to be found.
The Tinkham amendment to Gu
! down Southern representation under
the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments was merely vindictive thrust a
the South for its stand on immigration
and would have had no practical effec
even If left in the bill. IT was adopted
by a combination of Eastern Republi
cans and Tammany Democrats.
Move Is Called Petty.
1t must have been humilitsting II