Evening star., 1937-04-25
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Each individual citizen is supposed.
under our form Of self-government, to
have an equal share in that Govern
ment and in the election of those who
make the laws by which we govern
ourselves-but 1t does not work out that
way. Membership in the lawmaking body
Is supposed to be distributed evenly
among the States based on their popu-
lations fractional part of the total popu-
latlon OF the country. To illustrate:
Under the decennial census of 1890 the
apportionment was made by the method
known as "the method of major frac-
tlons,' which as applied to a House of
435 members gave each State as many
Representatives as the whole number of
times 279712 was contained in the total
population Of the State plus an addi-
tlonal Representative If the fractional
remainder was greater than one-haf.
But, lets look at the record"
Representative Wall Doxey second
Mississippi district, with population of
219,66l, seems to hold the record for
election to the present Congress by the
smallest number Of votes, 1882, with
only $50 votes cast in opposition. Com
pare that with the record Of Represent
n,
large, who seems to hold the high score
with population Of 1883, ,o66 and vote
for him of 3,0l3,931 and an opposition
vote Of 2o78,8o3.
Representative Aaron L. Ford In the
fourth Mississippi, with population of
184,266, holds the record for the most
nearly unanimous election and with the
second smallest vote. He received l4,444
votes while only two were cast in oppo-
sition.
The third smallest election vote was
received by Representative William M.
Wilmington, third Mississippi, with
population of 42o969, and an actual vote
Of 1888 and an opposition vote Of 407.
Other small election records are: Rep
resentative James P. Richards, fifth
South Carolina, population, 093; vote
received, 15,748; opposition, 110. Repre-
sentative Allard H. Gasque, sixth South
Carolina, population, 307,166: vote re-
ceived. 16027; opposition, II.
Now. let's Jump around bit on the
map of the United States and see what
the record shows regarding the wide
variation In votes by which members
were elected to Congress. Representative
James G. Scrugham, at large, from Ne
vada. with a population of 9l058. re-
ceived 25,575 votes with 11745 in oppo-
sition. In the first district of South
Dakota, population 524,769, Representa-
tive Fred H. Hildebrandt received 11O,829
votes with 108,259 against him. Repre-
sentative Anthony A. Fleger, twenty
second Ohio, population 633 ,678, elected
by 144,66o, with 1850 in opposition. At
large, In Ohio, with a population of g.
646,697, Representative John McSweeney
received l,553,059 votes, with 1,226,147
cast against him.
Now consider Illinois, one Of the large
and closely populated States. In the
second district, population 577,998, Rep
resentative Raymond S. McKeough re-
ceived 1913 votes with 130197 against:
fifth district population 140,481, Repre-
sentative Adolph j. SABBATH, dean Of the
House, received 35,019 votes with 10,252
against him; sixth district, population
632,834, Representative Thomas j.
OBrien was elected by 204548 votes and
107649 in opposition; seventh district,
population 889 ,349, Representative Leon
ard w. Schuetz received 248,835 with
158755 In opposition; eighth district,
population 1926, Representative Leo
Kocialkowski received 34,452 votes with
8,945 in opposition; twenty fourth dis
trict, population 161, 1,158, Representative
Claude v. Parsons received 45,740 with
42,764 against; at large, population T.
63os54, Representative Edward v. Cham
pion received 2,062886, with 1,568,552
against him.
In New York, the biggest State, tho
record Is Just as variant: First district,
population, 637 ,022. Representative Robert
L. Bacon received l85, ,891; second, popu-
lation 776,425, Representative William
B. Barry elected with 222,217; eighth.
population 9,4o7, Representative Dom
aid L. OToole elected with 217,56S;
twelfth, population 90,671, Representative
Samuel Dickstein elected with 1920;
thirteenth, population Ill 696, Repre-
sentative Christopher D. Sullivan elected
with 2O,456; fourteenth, population 49,
794, Representative william I. Sirovich
elected with 25,528; fifteenth, popula-
ton l2l,675, Representative John J.
Boylan elected with 32,435; twenty third,
population 688,454, Representative
Charles A. Buckley elected with 202 ,730;
fortieth, population 405, 100, Representa-
tive Walter @. Andrews elected with
e4e83.