Evening star., 1951-01-14

lpOPu1dGkOll dllO d1OCkleT 0lStflCLl
with a population exceeding 9O0,-
600. In many States, said the
President, there are differences of
two or three hundred thousand
people between the smallest and
the largest existing district in the
State. He added that about half
OF the congressional districts
throughout the country are be-
tween 100000 and 100000 in pop
ulation, while there are so dis
tricts with a population of CSC, 900
or less. and so others with pop
ulation of 100000 or more. These
discrepancies. he said, obstruct the
operation of the democratic prin-
ciple.
Many States are guilty of having
unequal-in population-districts.
California, New York. Missouri,
Ohio. Maryland. for example, have
some Of the largest and some of
the smallest districts so far as
population is concerned.
In 1929 Congress put through a
reapportionment law which cam
work automatically If any Congress
fails to provide for reapportion-
ment by new act. This was to
take care of a situation which
had existed for nine years. In all
that time Congress had failed toI
reapportion the House seats among
the States to meet the conditions
Of the 1920 census. In that period
the House twice acted but the
Senate twice declined to approve
the reapportionment legislation.
AS result, great American con-
stituencies were robbed of their
rightful share of representation,
not only in Congress but also In
the presidential electoral college.
1t was pointed out in 1929 that
on the prospective basis Of the
1880 census. more than 80 million
people would be relatively dis
franchised as a result of this
lapse by Congress in a funda-
mental constitutional duty.
A report filed by the Senate
Commerce Committee in April,
1929. pointed out that on the
basis of census estimates, %
House seats were affected by the
failure of Congress to reapportion
in accordance with the 1920 census
and % votes in the electoral
college.
so large a factor Of misrepre-
sentation." the report said. sis
travesty upon representative de-
mocracy. a fragrant mockery of
constitutional equalities. an ugly
hazard to domestic tranquility,
and an. insufferable affront to
victimized States
In Position to Act
The 82d Congress. therefore, is
in position to act on reapportion-
ment as it sees fit. But even If |
Congress fails to act, under the
system now in force. the reappor-
tionment will take place and the
States must govern themselves
accordingly; their Legislatures
must take cognizance of this new
apportionment. New York is one
of those States which is due to
lose two House seats. If it failed
to redistrict and bring about this
contraction. all 43 members of
the New York delegation would
be elected to the 83d Congress "at-
large" If that occurred, it might
easily happen that the entire
delegation would be either Demo-
cratic or Republican. In the
present Congress there are 22l
Democratic House members from
New York and % Republican
members and l independent.
Before the November elections,
one Of the arguments used by the
G. o. P. in New York in its cam
paign to elect a Republican State
Legislature was that if the Demo-
Gratis took over either house, they
might successfully block redis-
tricting legislation-and so throw
the election of the whole New
York House delegation in 1852
into a Statewide contest involving
all 43 representatives, on the
theory that the Democrats could
elect them all.
The result of the 1850 elections,
however, made such coup impos-
sible-for the Republicans not
cnly reelected Gov. Dewey but
elected Republican majorities in
the Legislature. Presumably, there
fore. the redistricting will go for
ward, and probably the contraction
will come through the consolida-
ton of two New York City dis
tricts and two upstate districts.
In the case Of California, which
is due to gain seven House seats,
if the Legislature should not redis-
trict, the seven additional mem
bers would be elected "at large"
From 1842 through 1911 the ap-
portionment statutes enacted by
Congress required each State hav-
ing more than one Representative
to divide itself into single member
districts, thus holding down the
number of congressman at large.
This requirement, however. is not
included in the legislation which
governs the subject today. The
Constitution itself does not make
mention of congressional districts
but says: "The times, places and
manner of holding elections for
Senators and Representatives shall
be prescribed in each State by
the Legislature thereof; but Con-
gress may at any time by law
make or alter such regulation"
And under this constitutional pro-
vision, the Congress has in the
past prescribed what we call con-
gressional districts for the election
of Representatives.
The present number of Repre-
sentatives-435-has been main
Ia q