Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12

1880 census and to insure reap
portionment Of the House OF
IL Representatives is about to take
the center of the stage as the
next order of business at the Senate
end of the Capitol.
The census and reapportionment
measures We're put forward separately
in the last Congress, but have been
combined at this session because they
interlock and for the further reason
that one Of the main purposes of the
census is to ascertain the population on
which to base the apportionment of
House seats among the States.
The census part of the bill Is not
likely to produce much debate III the
Senate, but the reappOrtionment sec
tons undoubtedly will lead TO heated
discussion. The present outlook is that
the question will be before the Senate
for about q week before action is had.
Long Before Congress.
Reapportionment has been before
Congress at intervals for nine years,
there having been no change in allot-
ment of House seats since the last
census. in 1920. The House on two oc-
casions during that time passed re-
apportionnlent bills, but each time the
Senate failed to act. The measure about
to be taken up for consideration is SUBJ
stantially the same as the Fem bill.
which was approved by the House at
the final session of the old Congress.
but which did not come to vote in the
Senate. II the Senate passes the bill
now, House action will be necessary
again, since the previous vote occurred
in a different Congress.
The part of the bill dealing with re-
apportionment, sponsored by Senator
Vandenberg, Republican of Michigan,
leaves Congress a free hand to decide
at the end of each decade on what basis
the House should be apportioned follow
ing a census. 1t provides at the same
time for an automatic reapportionment
If Congress should neglect to take
specific action at the end of ANY To-
year period. Even in such an event. the
pending bill does not undertake To lay
down u permanent mathematical form
ula for determining the House repre-
Sentation Of each State, nor does it
change the total membership.
1t provides that when All automatic
reapportionment becomes necessary by
failure of Congress to pass specific
plan it would be based on the existing
number" of Representatives and would
be carried out by the method used in
the last preceding apportionment."
Thus without taking away the right
of Congress to definite the basis for
each apportionment 1t would, neverthe-
less, make certain a reapportionment
after each census.
After each census the President would
transmit to Congress a statement show
ing the number of persons in each
| State and the number of Representa-
tiyes to which each State would be
entitled by using the existing total
number of Representatives and what
ever method of apportionment was EN-
| ployed the last time the House was ap-
portioned. Should Congress decide to
enact a specific plan of apportionment
/ for the next or any succeeding decade,
! this statement would not be called into
use. But if no action is taken by Con-
2ress, as was the case following the
1920 census, then each State would be
/ entitled to the number OF Representa-
tiVes shown on the presidential state
ment, and the clerk OF the House would
SO notify the executive OF each State.
May Need Amendment.
1t is expected that while the measure
is being considered in the Senate
amendments will be offered from the
floor seeking to exclude aliens from the
population count of each State for the
purposes Of reapportionment. Some
members Of the Senate believe this