The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-07-31
STATE WILL LOSE
One CONGRESSMAN
Southern Districts Must Add
Territory to NOrthward to
Take in Population
7TH MAY BE ABOLISHED
Second District May Lose Blue
Earth and Martin COun-
ties; Add Eight More

What will happen when the Min
nesota legislature next winter re-
groups the congressional districts
of the state? asks Charles B. Che
ney political writer in the Mime
apolis Journal. Reducing the dis
tricts from ten to nine will shift
the lines of nearly all the districts
and eliminate one.
(which shall it be? I looked at
John, and John looked at me-"
In this case there is no question
about it. One of the congressman
will have to go by 1888.
It is possible now, from the CEN
sus figure of 81 Minnesota counties,
to forecast the line which the new
apportionment will have to take.
The forced expansion of three
southern districts will require them
to add territory northward. That
cuts into the midsection, disturbing
the sixth which is smallest in
population, is likely to be wrecked
entirely and eliminated from the
map. AS it happens, that is the
only district in the state with a
farmer-labor representative.
So the reapportionment contest
next winter is likely to develop
into a battle for the political life
of Paul ]. Kvale, who is almost
certain to be thrown into the Sec
ond district with Frank Clague.
Minnesota seems sure to lose
member because the census did not
verify the previous census did not
verify the previous estimates of
100000. With the next house held
to 435 members, the quota per
member is to be about 100000. Min
nesota's official total is 2,558,265,
considerably short of the number
necessary to retain the 10 house
members.
Minnesota's representation was
raised in 1901 from seven members
to nine, and in 1911 it was increas-
ed to ten. The revision of districts
each time meant lot of grief for
the legislature.
This time the job will be harder,
for it means cutting down the num-
Der of districts. The job is more
imperative than ever, though. When
the. 1911 legislature failed to act,
the state simply had one extra
congressman, who was elected at
large until the redistricting was
done in 1918. Illinois has been
electing two members at large for
a long time rather than tear up
old district lines. A reduction,
however, means that new districts
must be carved out, or all nine
members will have to be elected at
large. Reapportionment commit
tees will be highly important next
winter. Chairmen of these COM
mittees will need to be diplomats,
and they will need clerks who are
good statisticians, with sharp pen
ellis.
On the basis of nine members
for Minnesota, the average for each
congressional district is 2S4,252
Three of the district are close to
that figure. The fourth district
Ramsey county has 1859 popu-
lation. It does not need to be dis
turbed. The eighth was 275, 1856,
and is little short, but any ad-
joining county added would make
it too large.
The tenth district also is about
the right size, with 281,243 popula-
ton, but any process of fair ad-
justment will make it necessary
to shift Minneapolis wards from
the fifth over to the tenth district,
which would require transferring
some of the other counties from
the tenth.
The fifth district has 344,510
souls. That is 10000 too many for
a district. The surplus can be
mostly removed by shifting the
eighth, big republican ward with
53.951 population, over to the tenth,
or by taking the first and the ninth,
East side labor wards with 1880
population. Either change would
leave the fifth district still too
large, by 5000 to $4,000.
Either of these transfers would
make the tenth district too large.
With the first and ninth wards
added, the Hennepin county por-
ton of the tenth district would
have 219,523. To compensate for
this change in the city, transfer
of Kanabec, Mile Laos and Wright
counties would leave the balance
about the same. Hennepin's part,
with the counties Of Anoka, Isanti,
Chisago and Pine. would make a
district of 2S1, 527, or close to the
quota.
The natural place to put the
three counties taken from the tenth
would be to add them to the sixth
district, which with this addition
would have 288,025 population.
This takes care of Ave out Of the
nine districts, with the least possi-
BILE disturbance, and 1t leaves each
OF the present congressman COM
pact district. Godfrey G. Goodwin
would have district mostly city,
but has found no trouble in getting
support from Minneapolis in his
three campaigns.
The rub comes IN consolidating
the other i've present districts in
to four. That means throwing two