Year: 1870

A bill is pending in Congress to fix the
time for electing Representatives to Congress
Instead Of having the Representatives elected
at different times as now, it is proposed to
have all elected upon the Tuesday after the
first Monday in November in every second
yaer. As the elections now take place, some
of the States are not represented if an extra
session is called shortly after the adjournment
Of previous Congress. The bill proposes
simply to exercise the power given to Con
gress by the Constitution to regulate the
"time3, places and manner of holding cleo
tions for Representatives, so as to remedy this
Inconvenience.


10 THIS bill the Apportionment Bill, so
Called, after having failed as separate meas
ure, was added as an amendment, and passed
the Senate. 1t provides for increasing the
House of Representatives to 800 members,
and for apportioning them according to the
population as shown by preliminary report
OF the census before the next Congressional
elections. This is measure in which the
West has felt peculiar interest from the fact
that its passage will give that section weight
proportionate to its population in the nert
Congress. If the bill fails, this equitable re-
adjustment will be delayed two years, and
the West, impatient to seize the sceptre of
power, is unwilling to wait so long. The
Chicago Tribune on the defeat of the bill as
first offered proposed that the States interest
ed take the matter in hand, provide for the
election of the extra number of Representa-
tives to which they considered themselves en-
titled, and insist upon their admission TO the
next Congress. This almost revolutionary
course is not however generally sanctioned
even in the quarter where it originated. 1t
seems but fair that the West should be
promptly allowed the advantage to which her
growing population entities her. Sectional
jealousy has had too much influence upon
our legislation during the present session of
Congress, and nothing can more efiectually
keep this alive than delay in according to
each section the rights to which it is justly en-
titled.


The new apportlonment is likely to have
an important influence. upon the balance of
power in the House. The South and West
will gain while the East will remain nearly
stationary. The two former will by uniting
be able to control legislation. On all financial
questions such as the tariff, the currency, &c,
the East and West hold radically different
views, and the change is likely to produce
some important changes in our legislation up
ON these questions. A revision OF the tariff
with lower duties may be expected.


STATISTICS OF SUICIDE.-From recently
published work of Professor Won Oettinger,
it appears that in Sweden, Norway, and Den
mark the yearly number of suicides is 12G out
of every million of inhabitants; among the
Germans it is 112; among the French 105, in
Italy and Spain so, the ratio of their increase
of population, in Prussia two and a half times,
and in France nine times greater Three
fourths ofall the suicides are males. Within
the last thirty years shooting and drowning
have been less resorted to than formally
while hanging and poisoning have become
more popular. More unmarried than married
kill themselves. One third of the suicides are
put down as ca used by mental disease; one
ninth to physical suffering; one eighth to loss
of property; one ninth to drunkenness, gam
bling, &C.; one tenth to family quarrels.