The midland journal., 1940-05-03
NO NEED FOR MORE CONGRESS-
MEN
BY ]. e. Jones
MEN
BY J. E. Jones

Washington, D. c., April-In the
year 1910 Congress took a look at
itself and reached a wise decision
to freeze the membership of the
House at the figure of 435 Repre-
sentatives. There is has stood for
years.
In the old-days every Congress
man had a chair and desk in the
legislative Chamber, but these are
gone, and benches have taken their
place. Two huge House Office build
ings have been built, and there Is
where you go to meet your Congress
man.
A new Reapportionment Law was
passed in 1929. Owing to the in
crease in population the 1910 re-
apportionment, which will be made
in 1941, will provide an average of
about 100000 population for Con-
gressional district, an increase OF
10000 for each district. Under that
plan each State will adjust it's repre-
sentative in accordance with the new
census. Estimates of population in
dicate that new Congressman will
lfRely come from the Southern
States. The number of Congressman
in Northern States, somewhere be-
tween the Atlantic Coast and the
Mississippi River will decrease-a
loss of about 4. Another loss of l
Congressman will fall in Dakota,
Nebraska or Iowa. Texas or Okla
homa will lose a member. Washing
ton or oregon will gain a member.
The estimates are based on losses
in approximate ratios of population,
but there remains a question as to
the exact States that will be hit.
Six States will each lose a men,
ber, while at the same time 6 states
will gain a member. Each of these
States will rearrange their own Con-
gressional districts.
The 1910 reapportionment chang
ed the House into a sort of town.
meeting assemblage-owing to the
increase in size. In these past 80
years the House membership has re-
mained large, and consequently un-
wieldly. AS result it Is, today,
somewhat clumsy in transacting
public affairs. 1t is impossible to
decrease it's size. But fortunately
it can be held down to 435 men,
bers-there is no need for more.
Permanent Labor Peace?
Labor Leader John L. Lewis rec
emily threatened to lineup the CIO
forces into a solid political body that
would really mean third political
party. President William Green
charges the worst kind of motives
to Lewis, and he says that the lat
ter is attempting to ride into power
as a dictator" Green asserts the
fact that the AFofL has never back
ed any political party, or sought to
lforce it's members to become party
goose-steppers.
OF course there can be no perman-
ent labor peace with two great
unions, AFofL and CIO, scratching
out each others eyes every once and
awhile. Gestures of our National
Administration that the unions "get
together" and consolidate, or make
peace-or do an impossible some
thing is about as futile and unrea-
sonable as it would be to ask the
distillers and brewers to join the
Women's Christian Temperance I'm
ion AS long as the CIO is wild
and radical crowd, and as long as
the AFofL remains a conservative
business organization and brings
home the bacon to its members, the
two groups cannot be expected to
get together-except for another
fight.
The National Labor Relations af-
fairs, and the flaws in the Wagner
Act, may be referred to as IAN open
book" so far as the responsibilities
of the Government are concerned.
The nature of needed amendments
are well known to both legislative
bodies. Only roar of disapproval
Throughout the country could COM
lpel these politicians to amend the
labor laws and thereby make per-
manent labor peace in our country.
ssss
Who's Who LIN The Political Pot?
| Washington is the political pot of
the United States. The guess this
week is that Hull leads the Demo-
cratic procession-if one is willing
TO believe that Roosevelt will not
i cun. DaWrY stands in the lead. &C